In this modern age, it is almost impossible to think about our day to day life without social media. It has become an integral part of our lives and is, without any doubt, a powerful tool of communication. It connects communities, spreads awareness, enables people to share information and provides common people with a forum to raise their voices and share their opinions with the rest of the world without any restrictions. However, at the same time, this tool of communication has emerged as a dangerous platform for propaganda, misinformation, hate speech, and last but not least, false narratives.
The danger lies in how quickly propaganda spreads online. With just a few posts, a false story and a single click, a fabricated story is communicated to millions of people, opinions are built even before the truth comes out. Groups with hidden agendas exploit this, using “victimhood” to gain sympathy, public support, and legitimacy. The recent case of Sohaib Langove (alias Ameer Bakhsh) is the classic example of how social media is used by separatist/terrorist organizations to garner public support and promote anti-state narratives.
In 2024, leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, claimed on social media that Sohaib had been “abducted” by state institutions. Activists and social media influencers started repeating these claims and they were amplified through hashtags, protests, and sit-ins, portraying him as another innocent victim of “enforced disappearance” by the state. For more than a year, this narrative was used to fuel anger, resentment, and mistrust towards the state.
But, the truth was very different. In July, 2025, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) itself issued a press release confirming that Sohaib Langove had died in a terrorist operation in Kalat, after actively engaging in an armed clash with security forces. This terrorist organization glorified him as a “martyr” and a “freedom fighter” who had joined their ranks a year ago, and lost his life while fighting for his people and his rights. The irony is, the very groups that once claimed he was abducted by the state institutions themselves admitted that he had been an active member of a terrorist organization.
Further details about Sohaib’s background make this propaganda even more clear. Sohaib Langove, also known as Ameer Bakhsh, was not just an armed militant of the banned BLA but was also personally connected to Dr. Mahrang Baloch, his cousin and handler. During sit-ins, he served as her personal guard and was frequently seen alongside BYC leaders in protests. It was a story of a registered militant being presented as an innocent victim in order to justify separatist/terrorist actions under the guise of human rights activism.
Sohaib’s case is a living example that some activist groups have crossed the line between advocacy and militancy. BYC, which protested and led demonstrations in his so-called “disappearance,” is now also being questioned, with several of its leaders detained under terrorism charges. What seemed to many as a movement for rights was, in reality, being used as a political cover for violent agendas.
This manipulation shows how dangerous fake narratives can be when left unchecked. For over a year, common people were told to believe that Sohaib was a victim of the state while, in reality, he was fighting against the state as part of a banned terrorist organization. It not only caused confusion, but weakened public trust in national institutions as well.
Due to this reason, the youth of our country should be very careful. As the most active users of social media, they become the prime and very easy targets of propaganda. Not everything we see online is true, and not all activists and organizations work with pure intentions. Instead of blindly trusting social media campaigns, youth should learn to check and verify facts, get information from credible state institutions, and form their own opinions.
The state exists for its people, not against them. But, unfortunately, anti-state elements misuse platforms like X and Facebook to distort this truth and spread hostility. The case of Sohaib Langove should be a reminder that propaganda can turn a “terrorist” into a “victim” and mislead the whole society. To safegurad national unity, we have to discard such false narratives and recognize social media for what it actually is—a battlefield of information where truth must be defended.
International Relations Expert and Social Activist.
