Pakistan’s independent human rights commission on Friday called on authorities to drop terrorism charges against a 7-year-old boy, a day after police in the southwestern province of Balochistan sought his arrest for sharing an anti-government speech by a rights activist on social media.
The case has sparked outrage among human rights defenders, who say applying anti-terror laws to a minor highlights an intensifying crackdown on dissent in the volatile region.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the case in a statement on X, calling it “highly reprehensible” and asked the government to protect the rights of the minor. The boy isn’t currently in police custody.
The boy was charged with terrorism by police on Thursday in Gwadar, a port city in the insurgency-hit Balochistan province, according to his lawyer, Jadian Dashti. Such charges in the country are initially filed by police, and suspects are later produced in court for a pretrial hearing.
Dashti said that the child is accused of provoking violence by sharing a video of an anti-state speech that was delivered by a local rights activist, Gulzar Dost, during a rally in Gwadar last month to demand better facilities for education, health and jobs in the region.
Dost, who is known for his fiery speeches against the federal government in Islamabad and security forces as well, was arrested over the speech and was freed on bail this week pending a trial. Police accused him of spreading hate against the government.
The case against the boy comes as supporters of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, or BYC, a rights group, are rallying in the capital, Islamabad. Rights activists allege that Baloch people advocating for a fair share of the province’s wealth are routinely detained, an accusation that the Pakistani government denies.
The BYC says it wants an end to “enforced disappearances” in Balochistan, which has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with the separatists seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad. Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence has persisted.
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