2024 Time magazine recognition and travel ban
In October 2024, Time magazine named Baloch one of the 100 emerging influential leaders of the year, recognising her extraordinary courage in opposing state oppression and her relentless advocacy against enforced disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan. [25] [26] However, she was barred from traveling to New York City for a Time event and faced harassment at Jinnah International Airport. While returning home with Sammi Baloch, she endured further harassment from FIA officials, who confiscated her passport and mobile phone and attempted to abduct her. According to her lawyer, it was discovered that the Government of Pakistan had quietly added her to the Pakistan National Identity List (PNIL), a registry for individuals suspected of involvement in criminal activities such as terrorism, money laundering, and fraud – just days after she appeared on Time magazine's influential list on 3 October. [27] [28] In response, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan called for "freedom of movement" for Baloch, while Mary Lawlor, a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defender, expressed deep concern on social media about the incident, citing reports of "harassment, intimidation and mistreatment". [29]
Political harassment
On 11 October 2024, just days after Baloch was barred from traveling abroad, an anti-terrorism case was filed against her in the Malir District of Qaidabad by a local businessman. The complainant in the first information report accused Baloch of "inciting violence in his area", despite the Quaidabad station house officer being unable to confirm any such activities by Baloch or her colleagues. [30] [31] Baloch dismissed the charges as fabricated, attributing the case to the state's discomfort with her activism. She stated that such reports aim to intimidate those involved in their collective struggle. [30]
2025 arrest
On 22 March 2025, Baloch was arrested during a raid on a sit-in protest in Quetta. The Balochistan government accused her and other Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) activists of orchestrating an attack on Quetta Civil Hospital and inciting violence. The same day, a violent protest broke out in Quetta when the BYC, led by Baloch, demanded the return of the bodies of those killed during the military operation following the 2025 Jaffar Express hijacking. According to a police report, protesters entered Civil Hospital Quetta and forcibly took possession of the militants' bodies. [32] [33] Her arrest took place during a wider police crackdown on BYC demonstrations against enforced disappearances. [34] [35] [36] Baloch's arrest occurred amid a broader police crackdown on BYC demonstrations against enforced disappearances. [37] In July, she was presented before an Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta, which granted police a ten-day physical remand. [38] On 18 July, the remand was extended for an additional fifteen days, and she has since remained under remand on multiple occasions. [39]
Following her arrest, authorities linked Baloch to protests in Quetta, where clashes erupted between demonstrators and security forces, and claimed that a demonstration against enforced disappearances escalated into violence, with slogans and actions considered anti-state. However, human rights organisations and her supporters have refuted these allegations, asserting that the protests remained peaceful and that she is being unjustly targeted. [40] [41]
In October, the BYC stated that the government had decided to conduct proceedings against Baloch and other group leaders in Quetta District Jail, rather than in an open Anti-Terrorism Court. The organisation described this as a "disturbing display of institutionalised repression". [42] Several lawyers and human rights observers have questioned the fairness of the trial, raising concerns about due process. [43]
International condemnation
The arrest sparked international condemnation from human rights organisations and prominent figures, including Malala Yousafzai and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, who called for her immediate release. [44]
In a statement issued on 26 March 2025, a group of independent United Nations human rights experts expressed deep concern over the detention of Baloch. The experts criticized the Pakistani authorities for allegedly using arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and excessive force in response to peaceful protests. They called for the immediate release of Baloch and others detained, urging the government to refrain from misusing counter-terrorism measures against human rights activists and to clarify the whereabouts of those allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance. [45]
Mistreatment during imprisonment
On 23 March 2025, following her arrest, Baloch was detained at Hudda District Prison under conditions described by her family and legal team as harsh and unlawful. According to her sister, Nadia Baloch, she appeared "weak and stressed" during a brief visit, and authorities denied her access to legal counsel and barred food brought by her family. She was reportedly held in isolation and not informed of any formal charges. Her lawyer, Imran Baloch, stated that the state had escalated its actions against her following her inclusion in the TIME100 Next list and her nomination for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. [44]
