Rights groups condemn arrest of Baloch activist, decry ‘Pakistani fascism’
Quetta, July 2 (IANS) Several leading human rights organisations on Thursday strongly condemned the arrest of a woman activist and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) member, Syed Bibi, by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, describing it as part of an escalating crackdown on peaceful activists and “Pakistani fascism”.
According to the BYC, Bibi was arrested by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on July 1 from her residence in Kech district without any legal justification. It said that although her name had been placed on the Fourth Schedule of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, for the past four months she had been regularly reporting to the CTD office every week in compliance with the authorities’ directives.
The BYC further alleged that following its announcement of a protest in the Turbat region of Kech, CTD officials repeatedly called and harassed Bibi prior to her arrest.
“The Fourth Schedule is part of the Anti-Terrorism Act, but in Balochistan, this law is being used to harass and restrict the movement of political activists, students, teachers, ordinary citizens, and even underage children. Due to this law, numerous students have been deprived of continuing their education, while the public remains under constant mental pressure and insecurity. Whenever a protest is announced in any city, individuals listed on the Fourth Schedule are summoned to CTD offices and harassed,” the rights body noted.
Expressing grave concern over the continued escalation of reprisals against peaceful activists in Balochistan, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) said that Bibi’s arrest is part of a “sustained pattern of harassment and intimidation” targeting her in the past few years.
“Over the past two years, she has been subjected to repeated punitive measures apparently linked to her peaceful exercise of fundamental rights. In 2025, she was placed on Pakistan’s Fourth Schedule, a counterterrorism watch list, despite the absence of any publicly known conviction for a terrorism-related offence,” the HRCB stated.
“In March 2026, individuals in civilian clothing, reportedly affiliated with intelligence agencies, raided and searched her home without presenting a warrant or providing any legal justification, leaving after ransacking the premises,” it added.
The rights body further said that these are not isolated incidents but part of a “broader and systematic pattern of reprisals” against individuals perceived to be associated with or supportive of the BYC.
Condemning the arrest of Bibi, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) said, “Holding an individual in custody to prevent or undermine peaceful political activity constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of liberty and represents a serious violation of fundamental rights, including the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”
The BWF called on international human rights organisations, United Nations human rights mechanisms and the wider international community to urgently intervene by demanding the immediate release of Bibi.
It further urged the global community to monitor the “misuse of counterterrorism laws” against peaceful political activists and press the Pakistani authorities to uphold their obligations under domestic law and international human rights standards.
Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), alleged that Bibi’s arrest marked another case in the escalating pattern of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, calling for urgent international attention.
“Another brave Baloch woman, Syed Bibi, has been forcibly abducted and disappeared by Pakistani forces, adding yet another name to the ever-growing list of victims of enforced disappearance in Balochistan. Silence in the face of these disappearances only emboldens the perpetrators. The international community, the United Nations, and human rights organisations must urgently take notice and press Pakistan to end the practice of enforced disappearances,” he posted on X.
–IANS
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