Abdul Latif Baloch was a journalist who had chronicled the brutalities inflicted upon his people. Pakistani security forces gunned him down at his residence in Mashkay, district Awaran, Balochistan. The attackers killed him in front of his wife and children, shattering his family and amplifying the broader crisis of state-led repression in the province.
Abdul Latif: A Voice Silenced in Blood
Reportedly, the killers of Abdul Latif were operatives linked to the Pakistani Army. For a long time, he had been a nuisance to state authorities, employing reporting to bring out the Baloch people’s oppression, resistance, and bravery. His reporting spoke for the voiceless, bringing attention to victims of torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee issued a denunciatory statement, claiming, “On the early morning hours of May 24, 2025, around 3:00 AM, journalist Abdul Latif Baloch was brutally murdered within his residence in Mashkay, district Awaran, Balochistan, by Pakistani state-sponsored death squads. He was gunned down in front of his wife and kids.”
Pattern of Targeted Violence
Abdul Latif’s murder is not an isolated event. Only a few months ago, security forces forcibly took away his son Saif Baloch and seven other relatives. They later murdered them, revealing a harrowing trend. The state is not just targeting activists—it is targeting their entire families as well.
The message continued, “Latif was not merely a reporter in a conflict zone. He was a voice for the marginalized, a recorder of Baloch pain, resistance, and defiance. In a country where the truth is rewarded by bullets, his reporting made him a target of a state that considers journalism treason.”
Global Silence Must End
This murder is representative of Pakistan’s infamous “kill and dump” practice, intended to eliminate Baloch identity and silence any sign of protest. His people are now clamoring for immediate international intervention. They have appealed to the United Nations and international media for intervention. They also urged press freedom groups to take effective action against these systematic offenses.
The world cannot afford to look away while journalists are executed for truth-telling. Abdul Latif Baloch’s death is not just a local tragedy—it is a global call to conscience.
