23 June, 2026
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD
Amid a deepening law and order crisis and political turmoil in Balochistan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mobeen of Anti-Terrorism Court Quetta-1 on Monday, June 22, sentenced Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr. Mahrang Baloch and central leader Sibghatullah Shah to life imprisonment.
The verdict came as the named leaders, their supporters, and their legal team were completely boycotting court proceedings. The detained leaders have been staging a sit-in at District Jail Hudda since June 12.
Balochistan’s political leadership responded with sharp condemnation, calling the ruling an act of political revenge and a murder of justice, and warning that such measures will only deepen hatred and unrest across the province.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal: “Decisions are not made by courts — they are handed down in writing”
Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal strongly condemned the verdict in an exclusive conversation with Voicepk.
“This has always been the history of these courts,” he said. “Whether you look at past cases or political leaders — Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, or others — verdicts always favor whoever is in power. The name of these courts will be written in history in black. It is the misfortune of this country that decisions here have never been based on justice, nor have elections ever been free and fair. After the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, justice has always been choked. If there were fair trials and free elections, the country would not have reached this brink. The reality is that decisions are neither deliberated nor written by the judges here — they are made somewhere else and simply handed down.”
Questioning the legal procedure, Mengal continued.
“From day one, the helplessness of the judges was plain to see during the arrests of Mahrang, Sibghatullah Shah, and their companions,” he said. “These cases were run inside closed jail rooms, and we opposed this from the very beginning. For 70 years in Balochistan, people have been killed, their bodies dropped, thrown from torture cells and helicopters. Will a case ever be registered against their killers? Will there ever be a judicial decision against them? Are the people dying in Balochistan not someone’s children?”
He added, “The judge announcing Mahrang’s sentence is completely helpless. This sentence is the work of the powers that be, as the (civilian) government exists only in name. Anyone would be astonished reading this verdict. If she was leading that gathering, did she personally pelt stones at the FC personnel? It was a mob of many people, and the case itself was registered two days after the incident. Is this person a judge or a prosecutor? If this verdict is justified by that logic, then we must accept all past political sentences as correct — that means Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s hanging was right. When people were killed in Model Town Lahore, who was the Prime Minister? Why was he acquitted? Just as Nawaz Sharif did not hijack General Musharraf’s plane, Mahrang did not throw that stone.”
Mengal warned that the state’s actions have been driving a deeper wedge into the region.
“The same tactics have been used since 1960. If the government and the institutions that manufacture this kind of narrative believe that bloodshed and enforced disappearances will silence the people or make them abandon their rights and resources, they are mistaken. The result is the very unrest we see across Balochistan today. Those who try to arbitrate between the world’s major powers have never thought about their own home. If they think they can bring in a few official puppets who do not represent Balochistan and win hearts through such verdicts, they are living in a fool’s paradise.”
Mengal is bitter and angry about the way things are for the Baloch.
“The government does not let us leave the country, while we have left Islamabad ourselves,”
Mahmood Khan Achakzai: “Pakistan has become a prison for oppressed nationalities”
The verdict was met with criticism from the Leader of the Opposition and chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who addressed the National Assembly in a sharp speech touching on the country’s stability, Kashmir, and political prisoners.
“Yesterday, a minister mentioned building a new jail in Islamabad,” he said. “I say there is no need — Pakistan itself has become a prison for oppressed nationalities. This country is already a prison for Pashtuns, Baloch, Sindhis, Saraikis, and now Kashmiris. You want to capture their resources, and the moment anyone speaks up, you slap them with charges of treason and terrorism. Last night, a delegation came from Kashmir — women were weeping because food had run out. Countries do not run on bullets. The prisoners of Kot Lakhpat jail were all over 70 years old. Have some fear of God. You set a record by sentencing five people to 286 years of imprisonment, and now you have given a life sentence to Mahrang Baloch as well. Congratulations on winning this gold medal too.”
Turning to the wider assembly, Achakzai declared, “You are all violators of the Constitution.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, present at his seat, listened in silence.
Achakzai demanded that the state genuinely listen to the grievances of the Baloch and all other nationalities, and warned the Prime Minister:
“Look at what is happening in the region — you have very little time left. The destruction unfolding around our borders is massive. My brother once said, ‘If Pakistan exists, we exist.’ You were right, brother Shehbaz. But Pakistan does not exist somewhere in the sky. Pakistan means Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab.”
National Party: “Verdicts that bypass justice destroy institutional credibility”
The National Party’s central spokesperson issued a statement expressing deep concern and strong condemnation over the life sentences handed to Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shah.
The party noted that decisions of this nature have occurred before, leaving lasting negative social and political impacts still felt today. It highlighted that Dr. Mahrang Baloch and her fellow leaders were simply demanding their right to a transparent and fair trial under Article 10-A of the Constitution — a right that was denied to them. Under these circumstances, rushing a sentence raises serious questions about the transparency of the case and the integrity of the judicial process.
Speaking to Voicepk, National Party Senator Jan Buledi said, “The constitution and the law guarantee every citizen the right to a fair trial. Decisions made without fulfilling the requirements of justice do not just erode public trust — they actively destroy the credibility of state and judicial institutions alike. Balochistan’s issues need to be approached with seriousness, political wisdom, and strict adherence to the constitutional framework. Pursuing political solutions, meaningful dialogue, and legal paths is the only real guarantee for lasting peace, stability, and restored public confidence.”
Qasim Khan Suri: “A ‘one-sided’ murder of justice”
Former MNA and former Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) released a video message from Balochistan.
“Previously, Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s cases were listed in open court — then the court was deliberately shifted inside the jail. What followed were faceless trials and a government-appointed lawyer delivering a one-sided verdict,” he said. “Similarly, lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Chatha, who simply raised their voices against oppression, have been arrested on fabricated charges and kept imprisoned. The state’s sole objective is to crush every dissenting voice with brute force.”
Position of the Government and State
While political leaders condemned the verdict, government and state authorities have consistently maintained that the BYC acts as a facilitator for armed outfits and has been formally declared a proscribed organization.
Following the announcement, several officials welcomed the ruling, including Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, who posted on X:
“After a two-year legal struggle, justice has finally been served for the son of Balochistan, Martyr Shabir Baloch. While on duty in Gwadar, violent BYC protesters led by Mahrang Lango repeatedly pelted him with stones until he was martyred. Today’s sentencing validates the Government of Balochistan’s stance: elements who take the law into their own hands under the guise of peaceful protest, promote violence, and target state personnel are facilitators of terrorism. The Government of Balochistan stands in total solidarity with the family of Martyr Shabir Baloch and assures them his sacrifice will not go in vain. The state’s war against terrorists, their sympathizers, facilitators, and backers in Balochistan will continue until the very last terrorist is eliminated.”