The conviction of Mahrang Baloch in the July 28, 2024, Gwadar attack case did more than conclude a high-profile terrorism trial. Within hours of the Anti-Terrorism Court’s verdict, terrorist commanders from banned militant organizations—including the BLA, BLF, and BRA—issued statements condemning the judgment and expressing solidarity with her. For many observers, those reactions became part of the story itself, renewing scrutiny of the relationship between the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and proscribed militant groups.
Among the first to react was Mehran Marri of the banned Baloch Republican Army (BRA), who criticized the court’s decision and voiced support for Mahrang Baloch.
He was followed by Dr. Allah Nazar, commander of the banned Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), who described the verdict as a matter of sorrow. In his statement, Allah Nazar said that members of the banned BSO-Azad had also been convicted alongside Mahrang Baloch and acknowledged that they were present with BYC activists during the incident.
The statements and support has once again exposed the relationship between the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and banned militant organizations.
The reactions came after Anti-Terrorism Court Quetta-I Judge Muhammad Ali Mubeen sentenced Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah to life imprisonment in connection with the killing of FC Sepoy Shabbir Ahmed during the July 28, 2024, ‘Baloch Raji Muchi’ gathering in Gwadar.
According to the court’s judgment, FC personnel were performing official security duties when they came under attack. The verdict held that inciting violence against security personnel and portraying them as “occupiers” and “enemies” deprived the gathering of constitutional protection as a peaceful assembly and brought the incident within the ambit of terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
It was a hot day on 29 July 2024 when Mahrang Baloch’s so called Raji Muchii gathering was underway in Gwadar… FC personnel had been deployed to maintain security. During her speech, Mahrang pointed towards the security personnel and referred to them as “occupiers,” after which the crowd became agitated.
A group led by Sibghatullah, Zahid Haider, Mulla Jameel, Baloch Qadir, Abu Bakar Kalanchi, and others attacked FC personnel with stones and sticks. FC soldier, Shabbir Baloch, became trapped by the enraged mob. He was first subjected to severe violence with stones and sticks, and then attacked so brutally that his face became unrecognizable, resulting in his martyrdom…
The family of the martyred soldier welcomed the verdict. His mother, Husan Bano, said the court had finally delivered justice, while his brother, Nazeer Ahmed, maintained that despite carrying a weapon, Shabbir Ahmed never used it during the attack.
Mahrang Baloch links with banned militant organizations are not new. Mahrang Baloch has, on multiple occasions, described individuals associated with the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as “forcibly disappeared” after they left for militant training camps in the mountains. Those same individuals were later killed while carrying out militant activities, no public clarification or acknowledgment was made.
From Salim Baloch, Wadood Satakzai, Khair-un-Nisa, BYC’s leader Saira Baloch brother Sajid, who was found sitting in a camp with BLF terrorist Allah Nazar.
Mahrang Baloch’s civil rights movement acts as a proxy or “soft face” for the outlawed militant groups. Her late father, Abdul Ghaffar Langove, was a member and commander within the BLA, his grave has BLA’s flag placed on it.
Support extended by commanders of banned militant organizations following Mahrang Baloch’s conviction reinforces operational and ideological links between the BYC and militant groups.
Mahrang Baloch’s imprisonment has disrupted a recruitment pipeline that supplied young people to militant organizations as foot soldiers to sustain terrorism in Balochistan.The strong reactions from the BLA and BLF leadership reflect the significance they attached to her role.
