GILGIT: Gilgit police arrested Awami Action Committee (AAC) leader Abrar Ali Bagoro for allegedly posting “negative propaganda against the state, Pakistani institutions and the Pakistan Army” on his social media account.
The police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against him at Danyore Police Station under Sections 123-A, 124-A, and 153 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
According to the FIR, Bagoro’s social media post included a photograph of Sepoy Nizamuddin, a soldier recently martyred in South Waziristan. The FIR said Bagoro’s social media post was aimed at “undermining public trust in the armed forces and inciting division.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Kharmang Police arrested another AAC leader, Shabbir Mayar, from the premises of an anti-terrorism court in Gilgit, where he was attending a hearing for a case against him. The police later shifted him to Kharmang. Mayar has been under house arrest for the past three months as his name is included in Schedule-IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
In a statement, Kharmang chapter of AAC alleged that Mayar’s arrest was an attempt to prevent him from participating in a long march announced in solidarity with the affected people of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. The protestors have been demonstrating for the past two weeks in support of a 31-point charter of demands.
Awami Workers Party (AWP) in Gilgit-Baltistan condemned the arrests calling it a violation of fundamental human rights. In a statement, AWP leaders accused the government of attempting to suppress peaceful voices by curbing freedom of expression, which they deemed unacceptable. They also demanded Bagoro’s immediate release.
Nowshera blast: Maulana Hamid ul Haq martyred
Karakoram Students Organization (KSO) also denounced the arrests and criticized the recent crackdown as an infringement on freedom of speech and human rights. The KSO alleged that while corrupt elements, land mafias, and bribery networks operate freely, voices advocating for fundamental rights are being silenced. The statement added that Abrar Ali Bagoro and Shabbir Mayar were “being targeted for advocating human freedom and basic rights.”
In December last year, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed its concern over reports of state-led actions against political activists in Gilgit-Baltistan, involving the establishment of a special anti-terrorism court and the continued use of Schedule-IV and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.
In a statement shared on social media, HRCP called for the immediate withdrawal of charges against political activists and urged the government to ensure citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.