QUETTA – A court in Balochistan capital sentenced Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Gulzadi Baloch to life imprisonment in a murder case stemming from a family dispute in Machh, Kachhi district.
Additional Sessions Judge-I Syed Qadir Shah Bukhari announced the verdict on Monday in the case involving the killing of Muhammad Azam, who was Gulzadi Baloch’s brother-in-law. The case was registered at Machh Police Station in October 2022. According to the FIR, Muhammad Azam’s wife and her sister Gulzadi allegedly restrained him, while their brothers, Abdul Wadud Sattakzai and Agha Muhammad Sattakzai, allegedly attacked him with an axe and a stick.
FIR said that Azam suffered serious injuries and later died from them. The court sentenced Gulzadi Baloch to life imprisonment, while the other nominated accused are reportedly absconding and proceedings against them have been kept separate.
Gulzadi Baloch was arrested in April 2025 in connection with cases registered in Quetta over BYC protests. She is currently being held at District Jail Quetta along with BYC chief Dr Mahrang Baloch, Bibo Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch and Beebarg Baloch.
The latest sentence comes after BYC chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and organisation leader Sibghatullah Shah were previously sentenced to life imprisonment by a Quetta anti-terrorism court in a case related to the killing of a security official in Gwadar.
Gulzadi Baloch is a Baloch activist and member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). She became involved in activism after her brother, Wadood Sattakzai, went missing from Machh in August 2021. Although he was released in February 2022, Gulzadi continued campaigning alongside families of missing persons.
She later became active in BYC protests and campaigns concerning missing persons and alleged rights violations in Balochistan. She has also written Brahui poetry and has a background in public speaking and debating.
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