Islamabad police withdraws case against Baloch students

The criminal case registered against 200 Baloch students and Iman Mazari - daughter of federal minister Shireen Mazari - for protesting outside the National Press Club in Islamabad against the 'enforced disappearance' of a student was dismissed on Monday after the Islamabad police withdrew the case.

The plea was heard by Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah where he was informed by Deputy Attorney General Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah that the police had withdrawn the case against the students.

On March 7, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had said that the court would not allow the voice of Baloch students to be silenced. The IHC CJ's remarks came at an earlier hearing of the case.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari’s daughter Advocate Imaan Hazir-Mazari and others had moved the court on March 5 for the dismissal of the case.

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Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan said that the court should not dismiss the case but allow the police to do so.

Justice Minallah stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan himself should have visited the Balcoh students, and further questioned if the first information report (FIR) filed against them should be declared null and void, as the court "will not allow the voice of Baloch students to be silenced".

During the hearing, Justice Minallah remarked that the children of Balochistan were protesting peacefully and that the federal government should have paid more attention to them as no one has visited them yet.

Earlier on March 4, Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed that suppressing the voices of dissent or discouraging raising grievances against the state, its institutions or the public functionaries was sedition.