Quetta: The passing of human rights activist Mama Qadeer Baloch, Vice Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, on December 20, marks the end of an era, while his peaceful resistance, long marches and steadfastness against Pakistan’s atrocities in Balochistan will remain a defining part in Baloch history, a report said on Thursday.
According to a report in The Balochistan Post, 15 years ago, Mama Qadeer and his colleagues laid the groundwork for a peaceful struggle amid widespread enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of political activists in Balochistan, beginning a long and historic movement against human rights violations by the Pakistani authorities.
“When Mama Qadeer, Farzana Majeed, Nasrullah Baloch and their companions founded Voice for Baloch Missing Persons in 2009, state repression in Balochistan was at its peak. An endless series of enforced disappearances of political activists had begun, and Mama Qadeer’s son, Jalil Reki, was among the victims. Following these disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the dumping of mutilated bodies by roadsides, in deserted areas and forests began—practices that continue to this day in the form of fake encounters,” it detailed.
The report highlighted that on November 24, 2011, the bullet-riddled body of Mama Qadeer’s son, Jalil Reki, was found in the Mand area of Kech district in Balochistan. Following his son’s death, Mama Qadeer did not abandon the struggle; instead, he emerged as a symbol of hope for others and took a leading role in organising the movement for the recovery of the forcibly disappeared.
“In the harsh conditions of Balochistan, Mama Qadeer and the families of the forcibly disappeared, despite state threats, repression and obstacles, undertook a historic two-thousand-kilometre long march on foot in 2013, from Quetta to Karachi and then to Islamabad. Through this peaceful resistance, they drew the world’s attention to the grave human rights crisis in Balochistan,” the report noted.
“This series of long marches, sit-ins and protests for justice spanned many years. The protest camp of the families of the forcibly disappeared outside the Quetta Press Club was repeatedly set on fire; Mama Qadeer received death threats; his home was attacked; and close relatives were subjected to enforced disappearance. Despite all this, Mama Qadeer never lost courage and, despite old age and illness, kept alive the hope of the recovery of the disappeared for fifteen years,” it added.
Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, also expressed deep sorrow over the death of Mama Qadeer Baloch, describing him as “a towering symbol of resilience, dignity, and unwavering resistance against injustice”.
“His lifelong struggle for the victims of enforced disappearances transformed personal grief into a powerful movement for truth and accountability,” the rights body stated.
(IANS)
