GENEVA/GWADAR: United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has expressed concern over the inclusion of several Baloch activists, including Dr. Sabiha Baloch, Shalee Baloch, and Sammi Deen, on Pakistan’s anti-terrorism watchlist under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Lawlor said:
“I am disturbed by reports that more human rights defenders in #Balochistan, including Sabiha Baloch, Shalee Baloch & Sammi Deen, have been added to an anti-terror watchlist which imposes multiple restrictions on their right to defend human rights. Colleagues in @UN_SPExperts & I raised our concerns with #Pakistan in February that the listing/delisting of individuals on a ‘proscribed persons’ list under the 4th Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act does not meet international human rights law requirements.”
In response, Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a Baloch human rights defender and MBBS doctor, thanked Lawlor for her support and denounced the move as a state-backed attempt to silence political and human rights activism in Balochistan.
“Thank you, @MaryLawlorhrds, for raising your concerns over the inclusion of my name, along with other political workers, in an Anti-Terrorism Act’s Fourth Schedule which is nothing more than a direct attempt to stop us from campaigning for human rights in Balochistan,” Dr. Baloch said in her statement.
Dr. Baloch further revealed that multiple summons had been issued to her residence in Turbat, and that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had been notified to suspend her medical license. She described these measures as tactics to pressure her politically and professionally.
“I am summoned by the Deputy Commissioner of my home district twice a week without being shown any evidence. These restrictions are unjustified and are affecting me politically as well as professionally,” she said.
She urged the UN and the international community to press Pakistan for transparency and accountability regarding the inclusion of Baloch activists in the Fourth Schedule, describing the law as a “blackmailing tool to suppress indigenous voices.”
The Fourth Schedule of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (1997) allows authorities to place individuals under surveillance and restrict their movement without a trial — a provision that has often been criticized by rights groups for its vague criteria and misuse against political dissenters, particularly in Balochistan.
