Dr. Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, has earned a spot on TIME magazine’s prestigious “2024 Time100 Next” list for her nonviolent advocacy for Baloch rights, the magazine announced on Wednesday.
The Time100 Next list celebrates 100 rising global influencers—activists, athletes, and artists—who are making a significant impact. The magazine highlights how leadership and influence now transcend traditional roles.
Dr. Mahrang was recognized for her unwavering commitment to justice, notably leading the December 2023 march to Islamabad to protest forced disappearances in Balochistan. She joined hundreds of women seeking justice for their missing loved ones—husbands, sons, and brothers.
Reacting to the honor on Facebook, Dr. Mahrang expressed gratitude for being named among the world’s top emerging leaders by TIME. She dedicated the recognition to Baloch women human rights defenders and families of enforced disappearance victims.
Her activism began in 2009 when her father, Ghaffar Longove, was abducted outside a Karachi hospital. At the time, she was a young student and the eldest of six siblings. In protest, she famously burned her schoolbooks outside the Quetta Press Club, demanding her father’s return. His mutilated body was found in 2011.
Dr. Mahrang played a key role in organizing the December 2023 protests in Islamabad, drawing attention to enforced disappearances. A report from July 2024 revealed that 197 new cases of missing persons were recorded in the first half of the year, mostly from Balochistan.
