Ex-GB bar chief, other activists held over ‘anti-state speeches’

GILGIT: Police have arr­ested four leaders of the GB Awami Action Co­m­m­­ittee (AAC) for allegedly delivering ‘anti-state speeches’ during an Iftar party, it was learnt on Thursday.

The four men — including AAC Chairman Advo­cate Ehsan Ali, Advocate Nafees, Meher Ali and Engineer Mehboob Wali — were arrested on Wed­nesday, and an anti-terrorism court judge, Rehmat Shah, granted their physical remand till March 18.

Advocate Ehsan Ali is a senior lawyer who has also served as president of the GB Supreme Appellate Co­u­rt Bar Association and the GB High Court Bar Association. He is also a member of the GB Bar Council.

Earlier, an FIR was registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Jutial police station against the AAC chief and the other three leaders, as well as a host of others, for allegedly making ‘anti-state speeches’ during an Iftar party and planning to arrange a protest.

In the FIR, the 13 AAC leaders were accused of making anti-terrorism speeches and planning to arrange anti-state protests while inciting the public.

The others named in the FIR include Asghar Shah, Masoodur Rehman, Man­zar Mayar, Taroo Abbas, Nusrat Hussain, Waheed Hassan, Sahib Khan, Fida Esar and Engineer Nadeem.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, GB High Court Bar Association, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), lawyers’ bodies, and political and civil society members condemned the arrest of AAC leaders under the anti-terrorism law.

In a statement, the GB Bar Council expressed serious concern over what it termed the illegal detention of Advocate Ehsan Ali by local police.

The detention of a practising advocate without transparent legal justification raised serious questions and created anxiety among the legal community, it said.

The Bar Council urged the concerned authorities and police officials to immediately clarify the circumstances surrounding the detention and ensure that the rights and dignity of the learned advocate were fully respected.

Furthermore, the Bar Council demanded the immediate release of Advocate Ehsan Ali and said that any action that undermined the independence and dignity of the legal profession could not be tolerated.

“The Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council stands firmly with its member and will continue to monitor the situation closely to safeguard the rights of advocates and uphold the rule of law,” it added.

In a statement, the HRCP said it was concerned by the arrest of at least five leaders of the AAC in Gilgit.

It said reports of continuing raids to detain other leaders, following a meeting in Gilgit and ahead of a planned public outreach visit to Skardu, raised serious questions about restrictions on peaceful political activity.

It demanded that the authorities must ensure due process and refrain from curbing citizens’ rights to organise and engage in lawful public dialogue and peaceful political activity is a fundamental right. Yet, in Gilgit-Baltistan, the government is denying these rights, and the FIR registered against AAC leaders for organising peaceful protests is condemned,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2026