For me, human rights activism is not a hobby but a profound responsibility.
Opinion by Dr. Mahrang Baloch, human rights activist featured in Time Magazine’s 2024 Time100 Next list and BBC 100 Women list. Dr. Baloch was a Young Expert participant and speaker at WEXFO 2024.
As a Baloch woman and human rights defender, I have spent more than a decade campaigning against enforced disappearances, custodial killings, and widespread human rights abuses in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, which has been the scene of violence for decades. My activism has come at a great personal cost. At home, I am facing harassment, persecution, and numerous terrorism charges. My father was forcibly disappeared by agents of Pakistani intelligence agencies in 2009 and was killed in 2011. In 2017, my brother was also illegally abducted. On that day, I decided that I would not remain silent, nor allow girls like me to suffer in silence. Fortunately, my brother was eventually released.
Due to my activism, severe restrictions have been imposed on me now. The fake police cases under terrorism laws, constant surveillance, and other constraints around my life escalated dramatically after my visit to Norway in May 2024. I was invited by the World Expression Forum (WEXFO) and PEN Norway to speak about human rights abuses in Balochistan, a region largely unknown to the outside world, including Norway.
During my stay in Norway, I was followed, harassed, and filmed on Norwegian soil. My pictures and videos were later circulated on social media in Pakistan by accounts linked to the Pakistani military, accusing me of meeting CIA agents and other Western officials. An organized propaganda campaign alleged that I received a million dollars in Norway to create chaos in Pakistan.
Upon returning to Pakistan, I was immediately charged with terrorism. In October, I was placed on the No Flying List, which barred me from leaving the country. These new restrictions followed my recognition by TIME Magazine as one of its 100 emerging leaders on October 2 2024.
On the night of October 7, as I was boarding a flight to New York from Karachi International Airport to attend a dinner reception organized by TIME Magazine, I was stopped by immigration authorities. Despite my protests, I was not given any solid reasons and was denied the right to board the flight. My passport was confiscated and only returned after the flight had departed.
As I left the airport that night, the car I was traveling in was intercepted by unknown gunmen on a dark, deserted road. They mentally tortured me, verbally abused and forcibly took my passport. The next day, another baseless police case was registered against me under terrorism laws. I approached the Sindh High Court, which struck down the false First Information Report. I also filed a case seeking justice for the harassment I faced and the recovery of my passport. To date, my passport has not been returned.
In the same week, I filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court in the capital of Pakistan, requesting the removal of my name from the No Flying List. The court summoned relevant officials, who claimed that my name was in the Passport Control List, granting the government the authority to regulate my travels. On October 17, my name was placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), or No Flying List, barring me from leaving the country. No valid justification was provided. That means on October 7, I was illegally stopped and my name was in fact not on the ECL.
While I was already battling terrorism charges, fake cases, and travel restrictions, the National Counter Terrorism Authority of Pakistan placed my name on the Fourth Schedule, a local anti-terror watch list. Being placed on the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) means being effectively proscribed. This status imposes restrictions, including passport embargoes, frozen bank accounts, bans on financial support and credit, restrictions on arms licenses, and employment clearances.
Since my visit to Norway and my recognition by TIME Magazine, I have faced multiple legal challenges, including my brother being added to the Fourth Schedule or anti-terror watch list too. The restrictions and baseless cases continue to pile up. On November 25, another police case under terrorism laws was registered against me. In July 2024, one more case was filed. I am now facing dozens of fabricated cases only because of my peaceful activism.
On December 3, I was named by BBC 100 Women as one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women of the world, alongside courageous voices from India, China, Africa, and South America. Slowly, the world is beginning to recognize our peaceful struggle for human rights, an end to enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, and custodial killings in Balochistan, a region rich in minerals but fraught with suffering.
The threats to my life are very real, but I am determined to continue fighting for the dignity and future of my people. Our struggle is for the fundamental right to live a peaceful life, and these challenges can be addressed if there is a rule of law. Without it, corruption, the misuse of power, and the accumulation of wealth by the powerful abroad will persist. This is why we are silenced, forbidden from questioning authority, and discouraged from advocating for human rights and justice.
I, along with those in my movement, find ourselves in deep waters, surrounded by sharks. But we know there are pearls to be found, and we are prepared to dive into the depths to harvest them. For me, human rights activism is not a hobby but a profound responsibility. I will do my utmost to fulfill this duty, and platforms such as WEXFO and PEN Norway provide us with the voice we so desperately need.
Photo: Baloch Yekjehti Committee / BYC
