The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the filing of terrorism charges against a seven-year-old boy in Turbat, Balochistan, calling it a gross violation of human rights and a misuse of anti-terror laws. The FIR was reportedly registered after the child uploaded a YouTube video featuring a speech by human rights activist Gulzar Dost. HRCP described the move as an alarming abuse of state power and urged authorities to immediately cancel the charges, protect the child and his family from harassment, and train law enforcement on child rights.
HRCP also expressed concern over the broader trend of prosecuting minors under anti-terrorism laws, noting that several underage children have been tried in Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATC) over the past year. It called for the transfer of such cases to Juvenile Courts in accordance with Pakistan’s Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018, and appealed to the Government of Balochistan, the Ministry of Human Rights, and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to intervene. The commission emphasized that these trials undermine constitutional protections and international obligations related to child welfare.