Mahal Baloch, a 28-year-old Baloch woman and the mother of two, was arrested on February 17 by officials from law enforcement agencies from her home in Quetta as alleged by her family and locals. She remained forcibly disappeared until the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) declared her a “terrorist” on February 19 and claimed they arrested her from a park in Satellite Town, Karachi, recovering a suicide jacket from her.
She was produced before a court after much delay and the CTD asked for a 14-day remand. The court agreed.
Following fourteen days of remand during which she was allegedly tortured, the CTD sought another 10-day remand after presenting her before the court, which the court approved.
She was once again tortured during this period, and there was yet another request from CTD for a 10-day remand, which was also approved by the court.
Following this, CTD released a video of Mahal Baloch confessing to her crimes as a facilitator in an expected suicide attack in the provincial capital. Human rights activists protested this development, saying the video was made in law enforcement officials’ custody, while Mahal Baloch’s family claimed the video was forcibly obtained and accused the Baloch government and CTD authorities of orchestrating a media trial.
She was presented in court on March 24 and CTD asked for a 10-day remand again and the court agreed.
For more than 30 days, we have been observing a false charge of crime on a widow, who is a mother of two young daughters, Nugrah and Nazink who are under 10 years of age. It’s like a vicious cycle.
Every time she is presented before an anti-terrorism court, she is again remanded into CTD’s custody where she is being allegedly tortured to confess to a crime that she has not committed. Her family has reiterated that she is being tortured in custody.
A provincial organisation working to recover Baloch missing persons, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), has accused the security agencies of abducting Baloch people and linking them to banned militant groups with little evidence.
There are also instances of CTD officials killing Baloch missing persons in fake encounters. Last year, Tabish and three other missing persons were killed in Kharan over the charges of being linked to Baloch insurgents. However, Tabish was ‘abducted’ in front of his family in Hub and his case, too, was registered with VBMP.
Therefore, this injustice is nothing new for the Baloch people as they have been treated differently from the rest of the country and dubious criminal charges by the CTD have become a norm in the most impoverished province of Pakistan. Along with that, the department has also become notorious among locals for arresting innocent Baloch people and making them confess under duress for crimes they have not committed.
Mahal Baloch’s prolonged remand into CTD’s custody only goes to prove that the Counter Terrorism Department has failed to establish a case against her. Her family, Turbat Civil Society, Voice For Baloch Missing Persons, and Baloch activists fear that she was forced into giving a false confession.
Despite calls from human rights defenders, including human rights watchdog Amnesty International South Asia, to end the arbitrary detention of Mahal Baloch, the state has turned a blind eye to the issue. One can only wonder to what extent the state would continue to silence the Baloch people, considering the extent of atrocities committed against them.
With many men missing, Baloch women have taken a center stage in the Baloch people’s fight against what can only be termed as state oppression which includes enforced disappearances and other human rights violations, making women a soft target for security agencies.
 declared her a "terrorist" on February 19 and claimed they arrested her from a park in Satellite Town, Karachi, recovering a suicide jacket from her. ){kind=link}