KARACHI:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday acquitted Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch in a case related to sedition and public mischief, ruling that the prosecution had failed to present credible evidence.
Mahrang had been booked by the Quaidabad police in Malir on 11 October 2024 in a terrorism case accusing her of inciting people by making “allegations against security institutions”.
According to the court order, Mahrang joined the case through a video link from the Quetta jail, where she has remained since her arrest in March. Although she has been acquitted in the Karachi case, she will remain in custody 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 noted that the case record did not contain any material that could lead to her conviction. It noted that apart from the complainant, all four prosecution witnesses were police officials who failed to give any meaningful account of the alleged incident.
“I am of the opinion that the accused is not likely to be convicted of any offence. I hereby allow this application and acquit the accused, Mst. Mahrang Baloch, d/o Abdul Ghaffar,” the court order read.
The BYC leader was acquitted 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 filed the petition 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 cannot support the prosecution in the absence of material evidence.
The defense argued that the police had admitted that no demonstration took place on the day of the alleged offense and that several similar cases had been registered against Mahrang without proof.
