Mahrang Baloch Condemns Targeted Killing of Shah Jan Baloch

SHAAL (QUETTA): Dr Mahrang Baloch, the chairperson of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has issued a statement condemning the targeted killing of Shah Jan Baloch in the Naal area of Khuzdar, Balochistan.

Shah Jan Baloch, the brother of the forcibly disappeared Baloch Student Organisation’s (BSO) former chairman Zahid Baloch, was killed in broad daylight on March 15, 2025.

Mahrang Baloch emphasised that Shah Jan Baloch had no involvement in any political or human rights activities, nor was he affiliated with any political organisation. He was a local businessman and the sole breadwinner of his family.

The statement further highlighted that Shah Jan Baloch’s only “crime” was being the brother of a student leader who has been missing for the past eleven years, under the custody of Pakistani intelligence agencies. Mahrang Baloch underscored that the state’s actions against the Baloch people go beyond silencing dissent and extend to targeting the families of individuals associated with the Baloch movement, regardless of their direct involvement in politics or activism.

She went on to say that for the last two decades, there has not been a single day in Balochistan where people have not been subjected to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, or targeted assassinations.

According to Mahrang Baloch, every home in Balochistan has been impacted by this ongoing violence, yet the world turns a blind eye to these atrocities.

“Just in the first three months of 2025, more than three dozen people have been extrajudicially killed in Balochistan. Today, Shah Jan Baloch was targeted and killed in Khuzdar,” she stated.

Mahrang Baloch criticized the habitual issuing of condemnation statements, asserting that such actions do not lead to meaningful change or real justice. Instead, she believes these statements are used as a tool by powerful state authorities to deflect attention from their failures and brutalities.

She emphasised that real change can only occur when the rule of law is enforced and accountability is pursued. Unfortunately, in Balochistan, the authorities’ focus has been on generating hollow condemnation, rather than taking concrete steps towards justice and addressing the root causes of violence in the region.

Mahrang Baloch further appealed to the Baloch community to avoid being swayed by external elements, particularly those who, despite being indifferent to the suffering of the Baloch, come forward to dictate how the struggle should be conducted or demand symbolic condemnations.

In conclusion, Mahrang Baloch reiterated the importance of the Baloch people’s resilience, particularly those who live every day with the fear that their loved ones may not return home. She asserted that the world will be forced to recognise Balochistan’s peaceful struggle for justice and change, as long as the community remains steadfast in their quest for self-determination and accountability. She urged the Baloch nation to chart their course and not follow the advice of those detached from their struggles.