Quetta: Human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has announced that its central leader, Mahrang Baloch, has been nominated for the coveted Nobel Peace Prize for the second time.
The announcement made on late Friday came just days after a Pakistani Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced four activists, including Mahrang Baloch, to life imprisonment in connection with a case relating to the killing of a Frontier Corps official — a verdict that sparked widespread global condemnation.
“This nomination took place in January 2026; however, under organisational policy, it was not brought into the public eye at that time. Bringing this fact to light today is essential because the individual whom the Pakistani state has attempted to punish through false and baseless charges of terrorism is the same individual now being recognised globally as a symbol of the struggle for peace, justice, and human rights,” read a statement issued by the BYC.
“Mahrang Baloch’s second nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is clear proof that the organisation’s struggle is entirely peaceful, democratic, and based on principles of human rights, while the actions taken by the state against the organisation’s leaders reflect political revenge and coercion,” it added.
The BYC alleged that several Baloch leaders are currently facing “fabricated FIRs, baseless accusations, and faceless trials” through “non-transparent judicial processes” aimed at silencing the voices speaking out against ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan by Pakistani forces, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and military operations.
“Following the arrests of Mahrang Baloch and other leaders of the organisation, there has been a further intensification of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and military operations in Balochistan, the effects of which the Baloch people are feeling daily in their lives,” the rights body noted.
The BYC called on the international community, human rights organisations, and democratic forces to raise effective voices against the grave situation unfolding in Balochistan and to play their role in protecting the fundamental rights of Baloch leaders, including Mahrang Baloch.
Stressing that the second-time nomination of Mahrang Baloch for the Nobel Peace Prize carries profound significance, the Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) said, “As the Pakistani state pursues her through politically driven prosecutions and imposes a life imprisonment sentence, the international community continues to acknowledge her peaceful commitment to human rights and justice.”
The rights body stated that this nomination should encourage stronger international engagement with the human rights situation in Balochistan.
“Symbolic recognition must be accompanied by concrete action to protect human rights defenders, secure the release of those imprisoned for their peaceful activism, and end the cycle of impunity,” the BVJ added.
(IANS)
