Outside the gates of Hudda Jail in Quetta, families of imprisoned Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders are staging an open-ended protest against a dark shift in Pakistan’s legal apparatus. Inside the prison walls, prominent activists like Dr. Mahrang Baloch are entering their second week of a hunger strike. They are resisting the state's latest mechanism of judicial containment: the sudden implementation of "faceless trials." This system isolates defendants, judges, and lawyers into hidden video-linked rooms, effectively stripping away the basic constitutional right to a public, transparent hearing. What began as a local civil rights movement has evolved into a high-stakes standoff over state power.
The situation outside the prison remains highly charged. Heavy police deployments have surrounded the families, attempting to disperse mothers, sisters, and children who have gathered on the roadside demanding direct access to their relatives.
The Machinery of Preventive Detention
The current crisis did not materialize overnight. It is the result of a calculated legal transition designed to keep political dissidents off the streets indefinitely.
In March 2025, authorities arrested the core leadership of the BYC under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance. This law is an authoritarian remnant. It grants provincial administrations the power to detain individuals for up to 90 days without formal criminal charges or prior judicial authorization, ostensibly to prevent public disorder.
The strategy changed when the initial detention window closed. When the 90-day period expired in June 2025, the state faced a dilemma. Releasing the activists meant risking a resurgence of massive street protests across Balochistan. Instead of releasing them, prosecutors layered new, highly severe charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
This pivot exposes the structural flaw in regional governance. By shifting the legal framework from administrative detention to anti-terrorism legislation, the state successfully bypassed the standard constitutional protections that prevent prolonged arbitrary imprisonment. Dozens of auxiliary cases have since been distributed across multiple police stations, creating a labyrinth of overlapping charges that makes securing bail nearly impossible.
The Inversion of the Courtroom
The introduction of the "faceless trial" system marks a profound departure from established legal norms. Under this protocol, proceedings are completely severed from the traditional courtroom environment.
Judges, prosecutors, witnesses, and defense attorneys sit in separate, undisclosed locations. They interact solely through encrypted video feeds. The state argues that these extreme measures are necessary to protect the identity of witnesses and judicial officers from security threats. The practical reality is far more restrictive.
Defense lawyers cannot verify the identity of the witnesses testifying against their clients. Documents are not processed through standard, transparent legal registries. By keeping the entire mechanism hidden from public scrutiny, the state has neutralized the ability of independent observers and media representatives to verify whether any evidence is actually being presented.
This environment compromises the fundamental integrity of the defense. Legal teams are given minimal time to review digital files, and private consultation between the detained activists and their counsel has been strictly curtailed under the guise of prison security.
The Human Toll Inside Hudda Jail
The physical condition of the detainees is rapidly deteriorating. A year of confinement has taken a severe toll on the core leadership group.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch is currently suffering from a severe spinal condition that requires specialized medical intervention. Prison authorities have repeatedly denied her access to outside medical care, compounding her physical decline. Similarly, Bebarg Zehri, a detained activist with an existing physical disability, has been systematically denied necessary physiotherapy.
The hunger strike has amplified these vulnerabilities. The activists have refused food to protest their forced exclusion from their own hearings, demanding that all trials be returned to open courtrooms in accordance with Article 10A of the Pakistani Constitution.
Beyond the Security Narrative
The state's aggressive response to the BYC highlights a deeper anxieties within the federal capital. The movement represents a new type of political opposition that the traditional security establishment struggle to counter.
The BYC is a civilian-led, grassroots mobilization. Unlike older insurgent factions in the province, this movement relies heavily on mass public sit-ins, digital advocacy campaigns, and leadership driven largely by young Baloch women. This civilian focus makes standard counter-insurgency tactics look overtly repressive on the international stage.
By applying anti-terrorism laws to peaceful civic organizers, the state attempts to blur the line between violent militancy and legitimate political expression. This strategy may secure short-term control over Quetta’s streets, but it erodes the remaining public trust in the region’s judicial institutions. When peaceful avenues for justice are systematically dismantled through secret proceedings, the argument for constitutional engagement becomes incredibly difficult to sustain.
The families outside Hudda Jail have stated they will not dismantle their camp until the secret trials are abandoned. The state shows no signs of retreating from its digital courtrooms. This unresolved friction points toward a deeper institutional crisis, where the rule of law is increasingly sacrificed for absolute administrative control.
This Report on Baloch Yakjehti Committee Protests provides critical coverage of the grassroots demonstrations and state crackdowns surrounding the Baloch Yakjehti Committee movement.
