Overview
- An Anti‑Terrorism Court in Quetta convicted two Baloch Yakjehti Committee leaders of murder and terrorism offences and handed them life terms for the death of a Frontier Corps soldier during a Gwadar protest, a verdict announced on Monday.
- Prosecutors said the activists incited a mob that seized and beat the soldier to death, and the court relied on eyewitness and medical evidence while applying section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and provisions of the Anti‑Terrorism Act.
- The defendants denied the charges, boycotted parts of the trial, were asked to appear by video link from Quetta jail, and were later represented by state‑appointed lawyers, steps that Amnesty International and other rights groups say violated fair‑trial standards and presented no direct evidence tying them to the killing.
- Provincial officials welcomed the verdict as enforcement of the law, while the BYC has called a province‑wide strike and allied movements including the PTM have pledged support, raising the risk of larger protests and legal challenges.
- The case sits at the center of long‑running tensions in resource‑rich Balochistan between a rights movement campaigning against enforced disappearances and the state’s counter‑insurgency approach, and the verdict could deepen mistrust of institutions and draw continued international criticism as appeals proceed.