Lateef Johar Baloch
Lateef Johar Baloch is a human rights advocate, researcher, and member of the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB). With years of experience documenting abuses against marginalised communities and human rights defenders, he focuses on Balochistan’s political landscape, natural resource extraction, and the impacts of state policies on ethnocultural groups.
Originally from a rural village in Balochistan, Johar became involved in activism through BSO-Azad in the early 2000s. In 2013, after the organisation’s chairperson was abducted, he participated in a 46-day hunger strike that gained international attention and elevated his profile—while also forcing him to seek asylum in Canada due to threats to his safety. Granted refugee status in 2015, he has continued his advocacy in exile, raising global awareness about human rights violations in Balochistan while facing ongoing transnational repression.
Johar holds a degree in Political Science and Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity from the University of Toronto. He is also an author for Balochistan Times and contributes to various news outlets and magazines.
Click the ‘Listen’ button below to hear Dominic Bowen and Lateef Johar Baloch in conversation discussing the Reko Diq Mine and the human rights, security and environmental risks of mining in Balochistan. Click ‘Read’ for a more in-depth analysis examining how these mining projects have been framed as essential for meeting global demand for copper in the clean energy transition, yet simultaneously carry profound risks for the Baloch people and environment, as well as the mining companies themselves. The episode and article assesses whether this surge of foreign interest in copper mining has the potential to transform into a flashpoint of conflict and exploitation rather than a development opportunity in Balochistan.
