QUETTA, 26 JUNE 2026 (TON): An Anti Terrorism Court convicted Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah after a trial that was initially held in Gwadar and later moved to a high-security prison in Quetta because of security concerns.
Holding her guilty for the killing of a Pakistani paramilitary soldier during the 2024 protests, Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah have been sentenced to life in prison by an anti-terrorism court. She was wittingly or unwittingly playing at the hands of agencies. However, her campaigns and marches rightly focused on the missing Baloch persons. She along with other Baloch activists campaigned extensively against disappearances in the Balochistan province.
Prosecutors said the trial was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrations organized by supporters of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) outside the court and by alleged attempts to intimidate witnesses. Authorities subsequently transferred proceedings to Quetta.
Pakistan’s government has long alleged that the BYC serves as a front for the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group which has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in recent years, including assaults on passenger trains, buses, security forces, and coal miners. It was designated as a terrorist organization by Pakistan in 2006 and by the US in 2025. The BYC has repeatedly rejected the allegation, saying it is a peaceful rights movement.
Meanwhile, a number of human rights groups have criticized the Court's decision. Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, said the verdict “demonstrates how Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws are being cynically misused to silence peaceful dissent. The conviction and sentence followed an expedited secret trial conducted on jail premises, during which serious concerns were raised over international fair trial standards and due process. No direct evidence was presented linking Mahrang and Shah Jee to the alleged violence”.