The federal government has filed an appeal against Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s order calling for a commission to hear grievances of Baloch students and their complaints of harassment.
The appeal was filed by the Interior Ministry before the apex court. It called on the Supreme Court to suspend the IHC order that was issued on a case pertaining to alleged harassment and racial profiling of Baoch students studying in Islamabad.
The petition was filed by human rights activist Imaan Mazari who alleged that students from Balochistan are harassed at Islamabad Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), and other institutions in the country.
According to the students, they are also racially profiled and face enforced disappearances.
In its appeal against the order, the interior ministry said that the directives from the high court were based on ‘misreading’ of the record and ‘misapplication of the law’.
Further, the federal government also argued that the IHC order ‘exceeds its territorial jurisdiction’ since it was a final order to the extend of formation of a commission.
Baloch students at the QAU have been holding a sit-in against harassment as well as enforced disappearance of a fellow student Hafeez Baloch. In March, Islamabad police registered an FIR against them over the protest, which was later condemned by Justice Athar Minallah. The judge had also ordered the authorities not to arrest or harass students and others named in the FIR.
