A farmer in Balochistan’s Kech district said on Thursday he had been listed as a wanted militant with a Rs 3 million bounty on his arrest despite having no links to any armed group.
Shah Mir, a resident of Kolwah, told reporters at a press conference at the Turbat Press Club that the Government of Balochistan had included his name in a recently published list of wanted individuals, which he said was the result of “an error or misunderstanding.”
“I earn my living by driving a tractor. I have no connection with any illegal or militant activity,” he said. He added that he was willing to present himself before authorities “at any time and place” to clear his name and called on the government to remove him from the notice so he could live without fear.
Earlier this month, the Balochistan government declared 39 individuals “most wanted” and announced cash rewards for information leading to their arrest. Their names, photographs and details were published in a half-page advertisement in several Quetta-based newspapers on February 11.
The notice said rewards ranging from Rs 500,000 to Rs 250 million would be paid for credible information, adding that the identities of informants would be kept confidential. The total value of the announced bounties amounts to Rs 1.38 billion.
Multiple critics on social media said the incident was “not a minor clerical issue but a serious blunder” that exposed what they described as “the dark face of the current government.” They alleged that similar listings may have put “countless innocent Baloch individuals” at risk.
They further accused Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and his administration of having “blood on their hands” and said the case reflected “a systemic failure that uses human lives for political purposes.”
Norway-based journalist Kiyya Baloch also criticised the move, writing on X that the Balochistan government had “lost its senses” and that such actions were fuelling “anger and resentment” among the public, particularly the youth.
He said security institutions should “distance themselves from such elements” and, to restore credibility, should “suspend this government and subject it to open accountability.”