Baloch rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been named one of TIME Magazine’s top 100 emerging leaders of 2024 for her work advocating for the rights of the people of Balochistan.
The TIME100 Next list, published on Wednesday, recognizes leaders from around the world who are making significant contributions across various fields. Dr. Baloch was highlighted for her efforts in raising awareness about enforced disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan.
Reacting to the announcement, Dr. Baloch expressed gratitude and solidarity with others advocating for human rights. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I am deeply honored and delighted to be named among the top 100 emerging leaders of the world by @TIME. I dedicate this recognition to all Baloch women human rights defenders and families of victims of forcefully disappeared people.”
As part of the TIME100 Next list, each honoree is paired with a guest contributor chosen by TIME to write about them. Koh Ewe, a Singapore-based reporter for TIME, profiled Dr. Baloch and the challenges she faces in her activism.
“For all the hope she represents, Mahrang Baloch is unsure if she’ll live to see a day when her community is no longer in turmoil,” Ewe wrote. At 31, Dr. Baloch has faced harassment, arrests, and assassination attempts. “Our life is not certain in Pakistan,” she told TIME.
Ewe provided context on the wider situation in Balochistan, describing how a government crackdown on an insurgency over the past two decades has led to widespread forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings—allegedly including that of Dr. Baloch’s father, an activist whose body was recovered in 2011.
With many Baloch men missing or dead, women like Dr. Baloch have taken on leadership roles in advocating for Baloch rights. In December 2023, she led hundreds of women in a march to Islamabad, demanding justice for their missing family members.
The march brought unprecedented attention to the Baloch struggle, and Dr. Baloch remains determined to continue her efforts. “There is a lot of threat. There is a lot of oppression,” she told TIME. “Still… we will struggle for humanity.”
The TIME100 Next list features emerging leaders and innovators making an impact globally. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs described the list as a way to honor rising leaders who are not waiting long in life to make an impact and are reshaping traditional power dynamics.
“We aim with this annual franchise to recognize rising leaders and, by doing so, not just show the stories that are capturing headlines in 2024, but also introduce you to the people who we believe will play an important role in leading the future,” Jacobs said.
The 2024 list includes leaders from diverse backgrounds, with over half of the honorees being women. The youngest person on the list is 18-year-old Summer McIntosh. Political figures, artists, athletes, and climate advocates are also featured.
To celebrate the achievements of those recognized, TIME will host the fourth-annual TIME100 Next event on October 9 in New York City. The event will include a special performance by Sabrina Carpenter and remarks from various list members, including Jaylen Brown, Nicola Coughlan, and Gov. Wes Moore.