KARACHI:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday acquitted Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Mahrang Baloch in a case related to sedition and public mischief, ruling that the prosecution had failed to present credible evidence.
Mahrang had been arrested by the Quaidabad police in Malir on October 11, 2024, in a terrorism case, accusing her of instigating people by making “allegations against security institutions”.
According to the court order, Mahrang joined the proceedings via video link from Quetta prison, where she has been held since her arrest in March. Although she was cleared in the Karachi case, she will remain in detention due to several other cases still pending.
ATC Judge Ayaz Mustafa Jokhio announced the verdict on the BYC leader’s acquittal plea in the case. The court observed that the file did not contain any element likely to lead to his conviction. He noted that apart from the complainant, the four prosecution witnesses were police officers who had provided no meaningful account of the alleged incident.
“I am of the opinion that there is no likelihood that the accused will be convicted of any offence. I hereby grant this application and acquit the accused, Ms. Mahrang Baloch, d/o Abdul Ghaffar,” the court order said.
The BYC leader was cleared of charges under Section 265-K (power of court to acquit accused at any time) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The judgment pointed out that the investigating officer had submitted the complaint ten months after the FIR was filed and no private witnesses or video evidence had been produced.
Under settled law, the benefit of doubt must go to the accused, the court said, adding that it could not sustain the charge in the absence of substantial evidence.
The defense argued that the police admitted that no gathering or demonstration took place on the day of the alleged offense and that several similar cases were registered against Mahrang without proof.
