Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Nadia Baloch has paid tribute to Session Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar, killed alongside his security guard in an armed attack in Mastung, describing his death as "an attack on justice itself."

Judge Kakar and his guard, identified as Muhammad Zaman, were shot dead on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle at the Wali Khan Crossing on the National Highway as the judge travelled from Quetta to Mastung, officials said. Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari and one other person were seriously wounded and taken to hospital. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for the assault, a claim Pakistani authorities have not independently verified.

The killing came amid a sharp deterioration in security across the province. While the government and administration maintain that peace has been restored, attacks continue to be reported from across Balochistan, and Mastung district remained under an indefinite curfew in its Khud Kocha area following a string of deadly incidents in the preceding days.

In a statement issued after the attack, Nadia Baloch said she was deeply saddened by the news of the judge's death. She recalled appearing before Judge Kakar's court in Mastung on several occasions in connection with legal proceedings, particularly the bail applications, in the cases of BYC figure Dr. Mahrang Baloch. There were things about the judge, she said, that she had never written about before, but which people should now know.

She described Kakar as an exceptionally honest, principled and dignified judge who openly discussed the legal aspects of Dr. Mahrang Baloch's cases with her. On several occasions, she said, he told her that however difficult the circumstances became, his judgments would always reflect the supremacy of law and the highest standards of justice.

According to Nadia Baloch, those words offered a measure of hope during what she called a politically oppressive environment in Balochistan, and his rulings bore them out. She said he granted bail to Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Gulzadi Baloch in three separate cases and acquitted Bebarg Baloch at the bail stage in one FIR. During an earlier posting in Turbat, she added, he maintained the same approach by granting bail to Sibghatullah Shah in a comparable case, again placing the rule of law above outside influence.

The BYC leader recalled one hearing that she said remained vivid in her memory. During a session in Mastung, she said, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) produced a minor boy before the court on multiple charges. When the judge asked the child when he had been arrested, the boy replied, "Yesterday." Kakar then turned to the CTD officer in charge, she recounted, and remarked that the child looked as though he had not seen sunlight for years, saying the boy had been so intimidated that he was agreeing to everything. He told the officers, "Fear God."

Nadia Baloch said that when she learned of his killing she felt it was not merely the death of an individual but an assault on justice, because Kakar firmly believed in the rule of law, constitutional rights and the dignity of the people.

She expressed complete solidarity with the judge's family and offered her prayers and sympathies, saying the people of Balochistan would always remember Abdul Hakeem Kakar for his honesty, integrity and unwavering commitment to justice. His principles and courage, she said, would continue to serve as a guiding light for all those who believe in justice and the supremacy of law.

The attack on Kakar is the latest in a series targeting Balochistan's judiciary and civil administration. Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari all condemned the killing, with the provincial home minister directing the Inspector General of Police and the commissioner to submit a report on the incident.