Prominent Baloch Activist Mahrang Baloch, Aides Given Life Sentences After Deadly PoK Crackdown

Published 22 June 2026 · world

Prominent Baloch Activist Mahrang Baloch, Aides Given Life Sentences After Deadly PoK Crackdown Reported By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 16:49 IST The Gwadar Anti-Terrorism

Prominent Baloch Activist Mahrang Baloch, Aides Given Life Sentences After Deadly PoK Crackdown Reported By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 16:49 IST The Gwadar Anti-Terrorism Court handed life terms to Mahrang Baloch, Balach Qadir and other leaders linked to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) supporters stand near a banner of jailed activist Mahrang Baloch during a sit-in protest, in Islamabad. (AFP file photo) Prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch and several of her associates have been sentenced to life imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court in Gwadar, Pakistan, on Monday. The Gwadar Anti-Terrorism Court handed life terms to Mahrang Baloch, Balach Qadir and other leaders linked to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and student organisations. The verdict comes amid a crackdown in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) that has fuelled concerns over the treatment of political activists and dissenting voices.

Mahrang, 33, is one of the most prominent campaigners for Pakistan’s Baloch minority. She was arrested in March last year and later charged with terrorism, sedition and murder. ‘Criminalisation Of Activism’ Baloch sources told CNN-News18 that the case reflects a broader pattern of using anti-terrorism laws and public order regulations against activists campaigning on human rights issues. According to activists, those protesting enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources are frequently charged with terrorism, sedition or violence. They also allege that peaceful sit-ins and marches are often met with arrests, solitary confinement and court proceedings held inside prisons, limiting public scrutiny of trials. “The crackdown involves enforced disappearances, family targeting and the Fourth Schedule restrictions that impose travel bans, financial controls and surveillance on activists," the source added.

Held since 2025, Mahrang’s case has become a symbol of the broader crackdown on Baloch activists, with supporters citing reports of declining health in solitary confinement and the alleged targeting of relatives, including cousins who reportedly disappeared. Brutal Crackdown In PoK The ruling comes weeks after a sweeping crackdown in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Authorities reportedly placed around 150 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The measures followed unrest earlier this month in which more than 20 people were reportedly killed and many others injured during police action against protesters. The demonstrations were linked to demands for subsidised electricity and flour, as well as greater political and economic rights for local residents. For more than 20 years, members of Pakistan’s Baloch minority have accused the state of carrying out enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions in Balochistan, the country’s resource-rich but impoverished province.