Sindh High Court throws out appeal against Mahrang Baloch's acquittal

The Sindh High Court on Monday dismissed the provincial government’s appeal against the acquittal of Mahrang Baloch, the leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, in a terrorism and sedition case filed in Karachi, ruling that the challenge was “not maintainable”.

The decision leaves in place an anti-terrorism court’s verdict that cleared her after finding that the prosecution had not produced credible evidence. It does not free her: Baloch has been in custody since 22 March 2025, when she was arrested during protests in Quetta over alleged enforced disappearances.

The case began with a complaint by a private citizen, Asad Ali, in Karachi on 11 October 2024. He alleged that she had helped militant groups recruit educated young people from Balochistan and move fighters under the cover of processions and rallies. The anti-terrorism court acquitted her roughly a year later, and Sindh’s acting prosecutor general appealed in December 2025.

During the hearing, the bench questioned whether the prosecution had the standing to appeal at all, since the original complaint had been brought by a private individual. The prosecution argued that the trial court had overlooked material facts and should have let it present its evidence, and that acquitting her before charges were formally framed was improper.

Baloch is serving a life sentence handed down by an anti-terrorism court in Quetta on 22 June 2026 in a separate case over the killing of a security officer during a protest in Gwadar in July 2024. Amnesty International criticised that conviction, raising concerns over due process and the fairness of the trial.

Her lawyer, Imaan Mazari, is herself facing charges, including under terrorism law, and is in detention along with her husband.