News report by Ali Jan Maqsood
On a Ramzan day (March 6, 2026) in Palantaak area of Washuk District in Balochistan, Hammal Hassani Baloch, a practicing advocate by profession, offers his afternoon prayers at 2 – just before he prepares to leave for Panjgur early, along with two of his family members, including an infant. Hammal has his new clothes for Eid along with him and is driving a Jimny car with his two cousins in a separate car ahead of him. They enter the Panjgur region peacefully before helicopter flying over them in the ‘Sagaar Sing’ area of the district – he does not focus on that because flying helicopters was a daily routine in Balochistan, particularly in Makuran region. Not too late, they were stopped by two armed men, allegedly belonging to the members of the death squads. They asked them where they were going and they agreed to let them go after confirmation on a walkie talkie. Some five minutes later, they get surrounded from all sides by the security personnel; some down and some on a heli. For few minutes, they keep constantly firing on the two cars, shooting Hammal martyred on the spot. During the fire break, Hammal’s cousin shows the infant and the heli, choosing not to fire, lands near Hammal’s car, takes his body along and goes to the Panjgur headquarter. Not very late, they call his family members to receive his corpse. Within a span of few hours, Hammal becomes a lifeless being and his whole family’s world turn upside down.
Out of 22 persons killed in one month in Panjgur, one was Hammal Hassani.
Response of the Legal Fraternity:
Jadain Dashti, the Vice Chairman of the Balochistan Bar Council (BBC), the highest forum of the lawyers in Balochistan, while showing dissatisfaction over the act of the lawyer’s assassination, issued a press release where he condemned the incident. “Such a barbaric murder of a lawyer is not only an individual killing, but tantamount to an attack on the justice system and superiority of the rule of law,” he said, adding that the lawyers’ protection in Balochistan had remained a serious concern for which practical steps were direly required. “We demand immediate and impartial probe into the matter or else reserve the right to record harsh protest if justice is not served to the deceased and his family.”
Various district bar associations condemned the incident and termed it greatly dissatisfying and a direct attack on the legal fraternity. The Quetta Bar Association (whose member Hammal was) condemned the incident in the harshest terms and observed strike from court proceedings on Monday (March 9). After a day of the very same, they, along with the Young Lawyers Alliance (YLA), a young lawyers representative body, observed entreaty (Fatiha) in memory of Hammal Hassani in the Katchery Bar Room for an hour. They asked the authorities for a Judicial Inquiry Committee to probe the case and bring the culprits to punishment.
The Loralai Bar Association, Sibbi Bar Association, Turbat Bar Association, Mastung Bar Association, Soorab Bar Association, Gowadar Bar Association, Killa Saifullah Bar Association, and several other bars across Balochistan took the incident very seriously, saying that such attacks were a broader pattern of human rights violations which have now “engulfed in legal fraternity which is supposed to end all these”. “How could the people trust on the law process when the lawyers themselves are not secured from barbarism without accountability?” said the bar bodies.
Reaction of Hammal’s class fellows:
“I knew Hammal for last eight years and he never spoke to me in harsh language – not for a single time,” recalls Imran Murad, his class fellow and a resident of Panjgur. “Today, when I heard the news, I felt the harshest slap on my face which will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life.” Imran described Hammal as one of the most silent and loving individuals who was ever ready and present for his loved ones and had the most beautiful language and vocabs for his friends. His loss, he believes, is his personal loss which “will never be bridged”.
Hammal Hassani, who was a practicing advocate, had graduated from University Law College Quetta of Balochistan University Quetta in December 2023. Before he could choose the profession, he secured a job in the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) as a constable, but retires two months after his allocation. He then decides to practice law. Though he had intended to continue his practice in Quetta, he had initiated his practice in Panjgur in his personal case where his car was seized in Panjgur. During his personal cases, he received few other cases as well – those who were very poor and could not afford a fees. “I took their cases for free,” Hammal once told Imran, and eventually set the accused persons free. “He did everything at his own, in fact, went to the prison and brought the son of a very elderly person who did not know anything of prison and court,” Imran recalled, before his tears started falling from his already wet eyes.
Although mere condemnation will not do much, the lawyers’ community can bring forth possible practical measures by bringing the law into motion. “As if the condemnation will really put others in tension,” comments Hasnad Hamid, Hammal’s class fellow. “Why don’t the young lawyers proceed with the proper case, forcing the institutes for proper inquiry to punish the culprits?” Though Hasnad has a proper offer for the lawyers, but like all others, he is sure in himself that justice would never be served (particularly to one with the Baloch identity), “Even though we know what will be its outcomes, but still better than mere condemnation.”
Hammal’s case is not an isolated event, but the series of killings in Balochistan for the last couple of months – with Panjgur being the hub of such murders. Only during the month of Ramzan (till 15th of Ramzan), 30 Baloch were assassinated from various regions of Balochistan, mostly in Panjgur (22). “The state’s actions in Balochistan, where an innocent individual is killed and then declared a terrorist, have set a concerning precedent,” says Musa Tareen, another colleague of Hammal Hassani. “This is the same Hammal who joined the police force (CTD) and later resigned, and now the Frontier Corps (FC) have killed him and declared him a terrorist,” he concludes with the hashtag of #StopBalochGenocide.
“I met Hammal in 2019 in Law College Quetta where we were class fellows,” recalls Jameel Fazal of Turbat. For him, Hammal’s loss is irreparable considering the level of bond he shared with him, while admiring his personality. From thereon to his last, reminds Jameel, he had never heard a single misbehaving word from him neither was he ever someone to disrespect others. “He was the gentlest person in our circle who I truly miss for the rest of my life.”
Haseeb Naseer, another colleague of the deceased lawyer, shares an emotional tribute to his fellow. “Yesterday, my dear friend Hammal Jan and a respected legal practitioner of the Quetta Bar Association, was brutally assassinated in Panjgur by the personnel of the Frontier Corps.” This loss, like for rest of his fellows, feels “personal” to Haseeb, while terming it a “profound crisis”. “When those entrusted with safeguarding civilians turn their weapons against the intellectual and professional pillars of our society, it shakes the very foundation of justice and trust.” Haseeb is of the view that the law enforcement agencies have better duties to offer than to target civilians and professionals. “The authorities should launch a truly impartial investigation and subject the perpetrators to justice,” he demands.
Sajid Kashani, a very close friend of Hammal and a resident of Panjgur, is speechless. He looks at the pictures, the memories he had with him and prays he is living a better life somewhere inside the heaven. “It cannot be harder than this, but all we can do is to live through his ideas, his dreams and the memories he left for us,” he would offer before cleansing the tears that would roll down his eyes. He recalls the moment when Hammal was fired at: “Do not fire! I am innocent. Hold your fires,” Sajid would assume Hammal saying these words before he “embraces martyrdom”.
Hammal; A memory, a person and a lawyer, a family man:
Over the years, Hammal has been one of the most kind-hearted persons one would ever see. For his friends, for his family, for any Baloch, he was always available. Upon his untimely demise, his family feels the most broken with his friends wondering if they could ever get someone as him ever. “My uncle would vociferate saying Hammal had orphaned him,” says Beebagr, Hammal’s elder brother. “I do not think I did or I can ever see someone as perfect a person as he was,” he recalls the level of a person his brother was. “He was not made for this world, therefore, God took him to the skies. I still imagine how a person can be this much selfless.”
“During the winter days, when it was very cold, I was in Karachi and came to Quetta,” says Imran Murad, “early in the morning. Hammal knew I was coming but I had refrained him from coming to the transport at Jabal-i-Noor due to the cold weather.” Before he could proceed, tears rolled down his cheeks. Gathering his trembling words, he continued, “But when I came out of the bus, it was Hammal standing there and smiling at me,” he broke into tears. Waits. After few moments, he looks down, recalling the memories in tears, he says, “O Hammo, can I ever get someone with a little bit of you in him?” He knows he won’t. We know we won’t.
“Hammal, the most humble soul among us,” posts Qasim Lal Buledi, his classfellow and friend. “I wish I could tell you how shattered we are after your untimely departure.” Everyone in his friend circle feels the very same Qasim notes. Apart from being one of the best friends one could ever get, Hammal was the most beautiful person by nature in the circle. He had no greed for himself and wanted to do everything for his friends, for his family, and even for his people as he could. “You were not merely a friend; you were a brother, someone who stood firm not only to his family and friends, but even for strangers who needed a voice. Your kindness, your unwavering gentle nature made you a rare soul in a harsh words,” Qasim recalls.
“You broke my backbone, Hammo,” Essa Qazi, an advocate in Quetta and his class fellow writes as he hears the news of his demise. “His all-the-time smiles haunt me as much as the phenomenon that he is no longer among us.” Qazi believes Hammal would never ever fade away from their hearts and memories. “With already enough traumas life has been offering us, we never imagined someone as a dear person as Hammal would be leaving us with the worst of all.” All he could speak out at the end was “Rest in eternal peace and power.”
As a war rule, your most favorite, most loved and the dearest one, which/who is the best one, is taken away from you – whether a person or a thing or a state of being, it is snatched. And the most unfortunate feeling is, standing right beside the gone thing, person or memory without being able to do anything to stop them. For us, it has been our fate – a colonial fate which only exists because we think of it as existent. We continue to be deprived of the very best we could ever have and only look up to the sky and say, “Not this early.”
We are used to carrying our loved ones with RIPs. “I fear nothing but death of bullets” has been a major fear among the youths across Balochistan. Hammal knew the very same and was always ready for a death – because when you are living in Balochistan, you are used to the tragedies and pain. They will hurt us initially and with time, we get used to them – everything that remains would merely become a memory, an undesired memory.
Has Hammal’s case proceeded further?
So far, there has been no further step taken to probe the murder of the gone-advocate, despite locals saying that the security personnel said they had committed a “blunder” – while independent sources are yet to confirm the very same. From the government and the bar bodies, there has been no further debate on the very same. The young lawyers and Hammal’s friends, however, demand an “impartial judicial inquiry committee” to probe the case and reduce the culprits to capital and exemplary punishment.