Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch has been named in the Times 100 Most Influential People list. Baloch is a human rights activist and leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.
“TIME100 Next list was created to recognize that many of today’s most influential leaders are individuals who are not waiting long in life to make an impact,” the magazine said on Wednesday. The list includes leaders, innovators, advocates, and artists.
Mahrang was named for “advocating peacefully” for Baloch rights and leading the march to Islamabad in December 2023. The march was joined by hundreds of Baloch women seeking justice and demanding the return of their “husbands, sons, and brothers”, wrote the magazine.
The 31-year-old Mahrang Baloch shared the picture of the magazine featuring her on her official Facebook account. In a post, she announced that she made it to the Times 100 Most Influential People list. “I am deeply honored and delighted to be named among the top 100 emerging leaders of the world by TIME,” she wrote on a Facebook post after receiving the recognition.
Read more: Dr. Mahrang Baloch Charged with Sedition Amid Protests for Missing Baloch Citizens
However, earlier this year, Human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch, known for her advocacy against enforced disappearances, was charged with sedition and making anti-army statements. The First Information Report (FIR), lodged on behalf of the state, accuses Dr. Baloch of inciting public revolt and fostering negative sentiment against state institutions during recent protests in Islamabad. The charges under Section 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code highlight the government’s claim that her actions aim to create civil unrest.
Other young activists include Bangladesh student leader Nahid Islam and Gazan food blogger Hamada Shaqoura. “The sociology graduate is one of the faces of a student movement that kick-started countrywide protests against Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. One of many protest leaders, he became more widely known after being tortured by the country’s notorious intelligence services,” the magazine wrote.