QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court has sentenced Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mah Rang Baloch and fellow activist Sibghatullah to life imprisonment in connection with the killing of a security official in Gwadar.
The court handed down the sentences in the case related to the death of Shabbir Baloch, a security officer who was killed while on duty. The proceedings for Mah Rang Baloch and Sibghatullah were conducted online from District Jail Quetta.
Following the verdict, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti described the ruling as a reflection of the rule of law after what he said was a two-year legal struggle to secure justice in the case.
In a statement posted on social media, Bugti said Shabbir Baloch had sacrificed his life in the line of duty and that the state would continue to honor his service.
The chief minister said the court’s decision demonstrated that there would be no leniency for those who take the law into their own hands or promote violence. He added that individuals involved in attacks on state personnel under the guise of peaceful protest would be held accountable.
Bugti said the provincial government stood with the slain officer’s family and vowed that those responsible for violence and their supporters would continue to face action. He added that operations against militants and their facilitators would continue and that efforts to restore peace and uphold the writ of the state in Balochistan would persist.