Pak anti-terror court sentences Baloch lioness Mahrang to life in jail

An anti-terrorism court in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Balochistan province, has sentenced a prominent Baloch activist who was popularly known as "Lioness of Balochistan", Mahrang Baloch, and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Sibghatullah Shah to life imprisonment in connection with the killing of a security official during a rally in Gwadar in 2024, according to The Balochistan Post.

The verdict was delivered on Monday by Judge Muhammad Ali Mobin of the Anti-Terrorism Court Quetta-1. The sentencing comes amid an ongoing boycott of court proceedings by Mahrang, other detained BYC leaders, and their lawyers. Since June 12, the arrested leaders have reportedly been staging a sit-in inside Quetta's District Jail, Hadda, in protest against the legal proceedings, reported the BBC Urdu.

Lawyer of Mahrang, Israr Jatak, was quoted by the BBC Urdu, saying that the case relates to the death of a security official during the "Baloch Raji Machi" gathering organised by the BYC in Gwadar in July 2024. The event was later converted into a sit-in on Marine Drive, with organisers demanding the fulfilment of two key demands before ending the protest.

The gathering had drawn participants not only from Balochistan but also from Baloch communities in neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran. During the protests, sit-ins were organised across several districts of Balochistan, and clashes between Mahran-led BYC supporters and security personnel reportedly resulted in multiple deaths.

THE BYC CONDEMNS THE LIFE SENTENCES RULING

The BYC condemned the life sentences handed to Mahrang Baloch and Shah Sughatullah Baloch, calling the verdict an "expression of hatred against the Baloch nation of Pakistan".

The group alleged that there was "no legal basis" for the case and pointed to what it said were contradictory FIRs and dubious evidence. In a statement posted on X, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee argued that the convictions amounted to "open state and judicial tyranny".

It further claimed that the ruling marked "the beginning of a historic phase of resistance and struggle" and accused Pakistan's institutions of using the law to suppress peaceful Baloch political activism. The organisation vowed to continue its movement, insisting that "prisons cannot stop this movement" and that the "final decision will be made by the history of the people".

MAHRANG REJECTED PAK GOVERNMENT APPOINTED LAWYERS TO FIGHT THE CASE

Advocate Nadia Baloch, sister of Mahrang Baloch, rejected the ruling, describing it as the decision of a "faceless court". She noted that the detained BYC leaders and their legal team had boycotted the court proceedings since June 12.

According to Nadia, the government appointed lawyers to represent the accused during the boycott, but those lawyers were rejected by Mahrang and other BYC leaders. reported the BBC Urdu.

Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch, an associate of Mahrang Baloch, criticised Pakistan's judiciary after the court handed down life sentences.

Sammi Deen Baloch on X claimed that it had become clear that "it was not justice awaiting us, but predetermined punishments".

Sammi further claimed that the judiciary, from which the oppressed had hoped for protection, instead "strengthened the hands of the oppressor" and tilted "the scales of justice in favour of the powerful". She said history would remember that when the oppressed sought justice, "the various pillars of the state stood in a single line" to suppress their voices.

MULTIPLE CASES REGISTERED AGAINST MAHRANG AND OTHER BYC LEADERS

Apart from the Gwadar case, the surgeon-turned-activist Mahrang Baloch and several other BYC leaders are facing multiple criminal cases. Mahrang was initially detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Act. During her detention, additional cases were registered against her and other BYC members.

One case concerns the deaths of three individuals during a police crackdown on a BYC sit-in. According to the police FIR cited by the BBC Urdu, the victims were allegedly killed and injured by firing carried out by members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.

An FIR registered at Quetta's Sariab Police Station on March 21 alleged that hundreds of protesters led by Mahrang Baloch, Beberg Baloch, Gulzadi, Sabiha Baloch, and Sibghatullah Shah had gathered on Sariab Road in support of what authorities described as "banned organisations" and had raised anti-state slogans.

The FIR further alleged that the protesters vandalised property, incited violence against police personnel, and opened fire on law enforcement officers. According to police claims, both security personnel and civilians were injured during the clashes, while three people later died while being transported to the hospital.

HOW MAHRANG BALOCH TOOK ON PAKISTAN's MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT

Mahrang Baloch, has emerged as the most prominent face of the movement against alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Pakistan's Balochistan province. She gained international attention after leading a 1,600-km march from Turbat to Islamabad in late 2023, demanding justice for missing Baloch people and accountability from the Pakistani state.

Mahrang's activism is deeply personal. Her father was allegedly abducted by Pakistani security agencies in 2009 and later found dead with signs of torture, while her brother was reportedly abducted in 2017.

These experiences made her join public activism, leading her to campaign for the rights of the Baloch people and other marginalised communities in Pakistan.

In January 2024, tens of thousands gathered in Quetta to welcome Mahrang and other protesters returning from Islamabad, where they had faced arrests and police crackdowns. As a trained surgeon and powerful orator, Mahrang has become a symbol of resistance against what activists describe as decades of discrimination, repression and economic neglect in resource-rich but impoverished Balochistan. Her work earned her a place on the BBC's 100 Women list and the Time100 Next list in 2024.

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