For the latest on Dr Mahrang Baloch, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday dismissed an appeal by the provincial government against her acquittal in a sedition case. The bench declared the appeal non-maintainable, which means it cannot proceed in its current form. Mahrang is a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and she is in Quetta prison in connection with other cases.
What the court decided
A two-judge bench headed by Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi, with Justice Miran Muhammad Shah, heard the appeal filed by the provincial government through the prosecutor general. The court observed that the complainant in the first information report (FIR), a private individual, was not the one who had appealed, and it asked how the prosecution could file the appeal instead. Advocate Jibran Nasir appeared for Mahrang and presented arguments before the bench.
The prosecution had argued that the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) ignored facts when it accepted Mahrang's acquittal application. It said the public prosecutor had told the ATC that clear evidence existed and should have been presented during the trial. The prosecution also argued that deciding the acquittal application before charges were framed was inappropriate.
How the case began
Quaidabad police in Malir district booked Dr Mahrang Baloch on October 11, 2024, on terrorism and sedition charges. The police said she had allegedly incited people by levelling allegations against security institutions. The FIR was registered on the complaint of a resident, Asad Ali Shams, who said she was inciting violence in his area.
The FIR invoked Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, which deals with acts of terrorism, along with several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. These include section 124-A on sedition, which covers speech that stirs up disaffection against the state, and sections on rioting and promoting enmity between groups. Over a year later, a Karachi ATC acquitted her, and in December 2025 acting prosecutor general Muntazir Mehdi challenged that acquittal before the SHC.
A separate matter also involves Mahrang. In June, a Quetta ATC handed two life sentences to her and another BYC leader in a case linked to the death of a security personnel during a 2024 protest in Gwadar. Her challenge against that conviction is pending before the Balochistan High Court (BHC).
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 11, 2024: Quaidabad police in Malir register an FIR with terrorism and sedition charges against Mahrang.
- Over a year after the FIR: a Karachi anti-terrorism court acquits her.
- December 2025: Acting prosecutor general Muntazir Mehdi challenges the acquittal before the SHC.
- June: A Quetta ATC hands two life sentences to Mahrang and another BYC leader in the separate Gwadar case.
- Monday: The SHC dismisses the state's appeal, declaring it non-maintainable.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sindh High Court ne Mahrang Baloch ki sedition case mein bari hone ke khilaf riyasat ki appeal mustarad kar di hai. Adalat ke mutabiq FIR darj karane wala shakhs ek nijee shakhs tha, is liye yeh appeal qabil-e-sunwai nahi thi. Aam logon ke liye is ka fori asar bijli, petrol ya qeemton par nahi hai. Lekin yeh case dehshatgardi aur sedition ke qanoon se judi hai, is liye is par nazar rakhna ahem hai.
