QUETTA: Despite being behind bars, Mahil Baloch continues to appear in the media, making confessional statements.

The 27-year-old single mother of two, who belongs to the Gumazi area of Kech district, was arrested by the Counterterrorism Depar­tment (CTD) of Balochistan in March this year.

Authorities accused her of being a member of the banned Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and alleged that she was planning a suicide attack.

But unusually for such a case, the under-custody Mahil has recently been interviewed by a number of media outlets. After the interviews aired, Baloch activists took to social media, terming it a “media trial”.

In conversations with Dawn, Baloch activists, parliamentarians and rights workers assert that Mahil is being paraded on TV and derided in a bid to rebuke her community, especially women activists, who have been quite vocal about the human rights situation prevailing in Balochistan.

Baloch activists decry televised interviews of arrested woman; CM’s spox claims media appearances meant to placate concerns about her well-being

In a report recently released by its fact-finding mission, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan observed “a palpable sense of anger among ordinary citizens, many of whom went so far as to refer to Balochistan as a ‘colony’ of the state during meetings with the organisation”.

This situation, the HRCP cautioned, should serve as a wake-up call for the state authorities.

Shakeela Naveed Dehwar, an MPA from BNP-M, has been outspoken inside and outside the Balochistan Assembly on issues confronting women in her province. There is a trace of indignation in her voice while discussing Mahil’s case with Dawn.

“She is a poor lady, who has been deliberately brought on media to give a bad name to women activism in the province because women are at the forefront in Balochistan in the protests to recover the missing persons,” she said.

However, Babar Yousafzai, spokesperson for the Balochistan chief minister, told Dawn: “After gathering intelligence, our law enforcers arrested Mahil Baloch because she was a potential suicide bomber, who wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Quetta. She has confessed to be so not only in the video but also before a court of law.”

“After being interrogated, she also confessed that her husband was associated with the BLF, which is why she was hired too after being brainwashed,” Mr Yousafzai claimed.

In reply to a question as to why the media was allowed to interview Ms Mahil, he said: “As you know, Balochistan is a tribal society; she was [brought in front of] the media to show that she is fine, and there is no injustice being done to her.”

Nasrullah Baloch, chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, told Dawn: “We have always demanded that Baloch people should not be implicated in bogus cases. They must not be subjected to any illegality until or unless they are found guilty in a court of law.”

He suggested that there should be a parliamentary committee, comprising all political parties, to go to Mahil Baloch to hear her out and ascertain whether her statements are being taken under duress or not.

“Because what she is facing is against the constitution and against human rights.”

Like other female activists, Sammi Deen Baloch, the daughter of Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch, has been campaigning for the release of her father and other missing persons since the former went missing from Khuzdar while he was on a night duty at a hospital in the year 2009.

“Mahil was picked up by the CTD from her place, in front of family, while her children were released next day,” Ms Sammi tells Dawn.

She claimed that Ms Mahil’s family has not been allowed to meet her.

“This is all being done to counter the Baloch female’s activism,” she said. “What I am pretty sure about is that Mahil’s case is not being looked into as per law, as the law itself says a confessional video recorded in detention is not acceptable,” she pointed out.

Even MPA Dehwar said that despite being a minister, her attempt to meet Ms Mahil remained fruitless. Habib Tahir, vice chair of HRCP’s Balochistan chapter, while commenting on these claims and counter-claims, said: “Under these circumstances, there should be an independent commission in the Mahil case as it has become a high-profile matter. Besides, the court should order a neutral, joint investigation into the matter to determine whether she is involved or not.”

The recent wave of Baloch women being detained has been going on since Karachi University bombing when Shari Baloch, a 31-year-old mother of two, blew herself up, killing four people, including three Chinese citizens.

“Since then, Baloch women are being detained, and the case of Mahil Baloch is not a new phenomenon. Being an MPA myself, I am watched with suspicion in Islamabad or elsewhere in the country due to my traditional Balochi clothes,” Ms Dehwar says.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2023