⚖️ Lawyer who occasionally wanders into words ✍️ Bylines: @dawn_com, @etribune, @thenews_intl, @The_Nation, @dailytimespak, @TFT_ and more
Meheristan
Joined January 2026
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My feature story for Dawn (Prism) examines the human cost of mis/disinformation in Balochistan through the cases of three women, one name and a disturbing episode of mistaken identity. Featuring quotes from @imranbaloch1, @Manzoor_rind, @nighatdad & others dawn.com/news/2027195/three-…
My latest economic GBV story as part of the SPO & UNFPA Fellowship
⚖️ A married woman does not need her husband’s permission to run a lawful business. The real gap is enforcement—and protection when economic independence is met with abuse.
By Mannan Samad
thefridaytimes.com/28-Oct-20…
#EconomicAutonomy #WomensRights
Mannan Samad retweeted
⚖️ A married woman does not need her husband’s permission to run a lawful business. The real gap is enforcement—and protection when economic independence is met with abuse.
By Mannan Samad
thefridaytimes.com/28-Oct-20…
#EconomicAutonomy #WomensRights
Mannan Samad retweeted
Spoke to @MannanSamad on Child Marriage In Balochistan: When Childhood Ends At 12. A 12yo is too young, child marriage steals childhood, freedom & safety, heightens GBV risk. Laws alone fail; need education, livelihoods & community action.
My latest story for The News on Sunday sheds light on the gaps in Balochistan's child protection system and the struggles of vulnerable girls. Featuring expert insights from @AbdulHa06519089, @ImranaImdad and others.
thenews.pk/tns/detail/144486…
My latest story for The News on Sunday sheds light on the gaps in Balochistan's child protection system and the struggles of vulnerable girls. Featuring expert insights from @AbdulHa06519089, @ImranaImdad and others.
thenews.pk/tns/detail/144486…
Mannan Samad retweeted
“Karl marx would shake his head and say “ya allah” if he saw the current state of the world.”
— my sociology professor
Disgraceful that @AlifyaSohail is being targeted for doing what journalists are supposed to do: speak the truth.
Today, the NCCIA served me a notice under Section 160 of the CrPC, ordering me to appear at its Karachi office on 16 October and to bring "all relevant digital devices."
The allegation against me, in full: "posting/sharing of Anti-State content on social media platforms."
That is all I have been told. The notice does not identify a single post. It does not name a complainant. It discloses no evidence. Yet it directs me to produce evidence "in support of my defense" against unspecified accusations.
The superior courts have repeatedly cautioned the NCCIA against exactly this. Anyone summoned over an allegation is entitled to the details of the complaint and the actual incriminating evidence against them, so they know what they are accused of. Vague notices summoning citizens cannot be issued. This notice violates that settled principle, and I object to it.
I am a journalist. I report on human rights in Pakistan, which very often means reporting on the abuse of state power. "Anti-state" is not an offence this notice even attempts to define, and journalism is not a cyber crime. A summons that names no offence but demands a reporter's devices is not an inquiry. It is a warning, to me and to every journalist watching.
Mannan Samad retweeted
Drawing comparisons is easy.
Mahrang faces trial, Imaan is jailed over tweets, her husband faces trial for retweeting & journalists face threats for reporting on sensitive issues.
Neha was freed in hours , Imaan faces 7 years. Why celebrate freedoms abroad but deny them at home?
“It is the growing willingness of the world’s most powerful democracy to subordinate principles to political expediency while still claiming the authority to lecture others on democracy and human rights.”
The News, Editorial Board, “The Mask Slips,”
thenews.pk/print/1442187-the…
Mannan Samad retweeted
SURAT IS OUT NOW.
A film about home, distance, a mother's voice, and the things we leave unsaid.
Watch it with your family.
youtu.be/Y4Cq5Qo40HM?si=yR27…
.
#surat #mehrabkhalid #balochistan #baloch #documentaryfilm #film #balochicinema
Mannan Samad retweeted
Why should the poor carry the burden of the conflict?
1. Jhal Magsi is among Pakistan’s most vulnerable districts according to the District Vulnerability Index for Pakistan (DVIP), with vulnerability shaped by housing, infrastructure and climate risks.
Jhal Magsi through the eyes of someone who knows the district from within.
Mannan Samad retweeted
Breaking News: Femal lawyer from Balochistan’s Hazara community, Jalila Haider [@Advjalila] given the 2026 Livelihood Award, often referred to as an alternative to the Nobel Prize. The jury says she was awarded for helping 400 widows of terrorism victims achieve financial independence.
According to the jury statement, her law firm has handled more than 7,000 sensitive cases since 2011, defended 600 political activists and human rights defenders, and represented 15 Baloch boys falsely accused of terrorism.
In 2025 alone, Haider represented 30 women killed in the name of honour in Balochistan and helped more than 15,000 schoolgirls learn about online harassment and data protection. More about her work ⬇️
The 2026 @RightLivelihood Award goes to women and women-led organisations challenging entrenched power structures:
🏆 Jalila Haider @Advjalila
🏆 Rural Women's Assembly @womensassembly
🏆 Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association @GYLA_CSO
🏆 Timnit Gebru @timnitGebru
Mannan Samad retweeted
Four civilians (youths), who went on mountains for picnic in Balicha (Tump), were hit with a drone, killing four of them. Not too long, the armed forced called it a “strike on Baloch militants”. Though they had ‘taken permission from armed forces’, yet were reduced to ashes.
Mannan Samad retweeted
One of the most important books of 20th century.
Editorial:
"If the executive can do with a court order whatever it pleases without any consequence whatsoever, it also exposes the judiciary’s own unwillingness to enforce its writ."
dawn.com/news/2031059/restra…
“If two lawyers can fight for the lost and left behind so hard, it would be shameful that the rest of us choose to look away.”
Powerful piece by @AsadRahim
dawn.com/news/2031078?utm_so…
Mannan Samad retweeted
Outrageous! Imaan and Hadi have been rearrested. It is in blatant disregard of the Supreme Court’s orders and the rule of law. Who is undermining judicial independence and the authority of the third branch of government?
