An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta has sentenced Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch and co-accused Sibghatullah Shah to life imprisonment. The case is linked to the killing of Frontier Corps soldier Shabbir Baloch during the 2024 Raji Muchi protest in Gwadar.
Prosecutors said FC personnel came under attack during unrest that broke out amid the protest, and argued that the accused played a leading role in the events that led to the soldier’s death.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a doctor by training, is the chief organiser of the BYC, a rights group that has campaigned since 2018 against enforced disappearances in Balochistan. She has been in custody since March 2025, first detained under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance and later facing multiple cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Earlier this year, she wrote to a British newspaper describing harsh conditions in solitary confinement at Central Jail Huda in Quetta, and said she had been hospitalised after being diagnosed with a slipped disc and nerve compression.
The defence has consistently argued that the cases against the BYC leaders are politically motivated. Lawyers for the group have previously said the charges are not backed by credible evidence and have promised to take such matters to higher courts.
Both convicted leaders deny the charges against them and are expected to file appeals before higher courts, including the Balochistan High Court. The verdict is likely to deepen tensions in Balochistan, where the BYC’s campaign on missing persons has drawn both strong public support and sustained pressure from authorities.
