Quetta ATC Sentences BYC Leaders in Gwadar Protest Case

An anti-terrorism court in Quetta on Monday found Baloch Yakjehti Committee chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and another BYC leader guilty in a 2024 case linked to the death of a Frontier Corps personnel during a protest in Gwadar. The verdict has become a major legal and political development in Balochistan because of the profile of the accused and the wider debate surrounding protest rights, security and accountability.

The case was heard by ATC Quetta-I Judge Muhammad Ali Mobeen. According to the report, Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahji and others had been nominated in proceedings connected to violence during the Baloch Rajee Muchi gathering, a protest mobilisation organised by the BYC in Gwadar in July 2024.

After completing the hearing, the court announced its decision and handed life sentences to Mahrang and Sibghatullah. Their lawyer, Israr Jattak, confirmed the sentence to the media, while also noting that the detailed written judgment had not yet been issued at the time of reporting.

The prosecution case centred on the death of an FC personnel who had reportedly suffered injuries during stone-pelting by a mob. The legal proceedings examined events that unfolded when BYC protesters and security personnel clashed in Gwadar during the attempted gathering.

The Gwadar protest had turned violent amid restrictions and security measures around the Baloch Rajee Muchi. Separate clashes were reported at the Talar check-post and on Marine Drive, where multiple deaths and injuries occurred, intensifying tensions between rights activists, local communities and state authorities.

A day before the Gwadar clashes, officials in Kalat had claimed that participants travelling toward the gathering were involved in violence near Mastung. The administration had accused an armed group of attacking security personnel after forces stopped the rally for talks, while BYC supporters and rights activists have long disputed official narratives around such crackdowns.

Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shahji have already spent a prolonged period in custody in different cases. Mahrang was first detained in March last year under the Balochistan Maintenance of Public Order law, and her detention was later extended before she was taken into custody in another case.

Following the detention period, several cases were registered against Mahrang and other BYC leaders under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Pakistan Penal Code. While the BYC is not listed as a banned organisation by the National Counter Terrorism Authority, Mahrang’s name appears on Nacta’s list of proscribed persons.

The ruling is expected to deepen debate over Balochistan’s political tensions, the use of anti-terror laws, and the boundary between protest activity and criminal liability. For Pakistan, the case carries wider implications for civil liberties, provincial stability, security policy and trust between the state and communities in Balochistan.

The next phase will depend on the detailed written verdict and any appeals filed by the defence. Mahrang and Sibghatullah’s legal team is expected to challenge the decision before higher courts, while the judgment is likely to draw close attention from political parties, human rights groups, security officials and Balochistan’s civil society.