SC adjourns Mahrang Baloch’s bail case sans proceedings

The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred proceedings on a bail petition filed against the detention of prominent Baloch rights defender Dr Mahrang Baloch. The hearing was adjourned without further proceedings after lawyer Jibran Nasir, the counsel representing the petitioner, sought a formal postponement. The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar. 

Mahrang Baloch was detained on March 22, 2025 under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a preventive detention framework that allows authorities to hold individuals considered a threat to public order. 

The arrest was challenged in the Supreme Court after her sister, Nadia Baloch, filed an appeal against a Balochistan High Court decision that had referred the matter back to the provincial administration.

The petition argues that the deputy commissioner was not empowered under the law to issue the detention order, stating that such authority rests with the provincial government when conditions under the MPO are met. 

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori