Mama Qadeer Baloch is like a candle which burns itself but give light to others.

 Opinion:

Translated by Rakshani Baloch

Abdul Qadeer [Mama Qadeer Baloch] may seem alone; perhaps that loneliness is his power and friend. Every morning without feeling any exhaustion he goes to his [protest] camp which is decorated with the bouquets of the pictures of enforced-disappeared and martyred Baloch activists. He leaves for home as the sun sets. He dignifiedly sits on his mat as if a 22 grade officer is seated on his chair.

Many people turn their weakness to a power that can move mountains such a Himalaya. For some loneliness is their assembly, they talk to it; they laugh and make it laugh with them. Resolute people like Mama Qadeer number few. When passersby see him, different questions cross their mind – some think he is mental whereas some might feel sorry at his condition. But, people like Mama Qadeer cannot be discouraged by the history in fact they make history – a gold history!

The body of Qadeer’s young son Jalil Reki was found in Mand area of District Kech in Balochistan. He did not mourn the death of his son. There was a general perception that after losing his son, Mama might no more be interested is struggle for recovery of enforced-disappeared Baloch. They though he [Mama] will now struggle to feed himself and his family, but Mama Qadeer consider all forced-disappeared Baloch persons as his children. It is not necessary that everyone in this world lives only for their personal gains; in fact there are lot of people who live to serve others – such as Mama Qadeer.

Mama is like a candle which burns itself but give light to others. He is like a seed which is buried in the ground but it has grown up to become a tree and provides shade and fruits to others. Whether it is cold, scorching heart, cloudy, strong wind or heavy rain; Mama Qadeer Baloch’s journey never stopped. Neither an unfavourable circumstance nor an unexpected weather can become an obstacle in his way or break his will – at his old age he is as passionate as a young man.

Quetta is a big city and it is the capital of Balochistan; here people are struggling to make a living like people in other cities. People are struggling for a comfortable life and better future; they worry about their bank balance; they want news cars, beautiful Bungalows, postings and transfer. In this race of life and future there are many who snatch the happiness of others to make their own life comfortable and colourful and call it ability to survive. They destroy other’s families and future to fulfil their personal gains. They are struggling to provide comfort and tranquillity to their sex feet body – it is said, “Everything is fair in love and war” but I would like to add a new saying which is, “Everything is also fair for personal gain.”

People are busy to build their beautiful world but Mama Qadeer Baloch is unfamiliar with this whole saga – for him his protest camp is his world. He is busy building his camp and these pictures at his camp are his total asset. His bank balance (his reputation) is growing, today his protest camp entered 455th day – today his protest for human rights reached to 933rd day – this is Mama Qadeer’s bank balance. He is not from those selfish people who snatch other’s happiness to please themselves. He is sacrificing his own happiness for others. He is sacrificing his desires, needs, personal life, and social life and buried his future dreams. He risked his today for a better tomorrow for others. He fighting against the whole system. He carrying on this struggle alone, empty-handed but with dignity and bravery because his mind is not empty, there is power within his mind. He uses this power but it is invisible.

Initially people would glance at him when passing by his camp but now they seem confined to their own world or perhaps they are tired of staring at him anymore but he [Mama Qadeer] never get tired. After travelling a long journey, still there are no signs of tiredness on his face, every dawn refreshes the circle of blood in his body and gives him more courage, and then he picks up his pictures and goes to the protest camp. It is not just a protest camp but it is a battlefield where Mama Qadeer Baloch is fighting against an entire army.

He sits alone at his protest camp but his loneliness is self-crowded. There is melody in the silence of his camp – a melody that rules the heart. It is our false imagination that we say he is alone. We wrongfully think he might become hopeless and abandon his struggle. He, however, feels surrounded in an environment of festivity – he sees happiness all around him and sees a world beyond what we see today. He sees a bright tomorrow. People think Mama Qadeer is insane but Mama Qadeer considers the world as crazy.

When one’s characteristic is strong, then a lonely person makes his personal life a struggle and fights against the whole system. Mama Qadeer is a character; he is the main character of a novel.

Mama Qadeer’s protest camp is only few yards away from ‘Balochi Academy’, I wish, any Baloch writer writes a novel about this living character and preserve this novel for coming generations because future is going to be proud of him and history is witnessing his struggle. Mama Qadeer has become a movement which is recording history – a bright history and history of a new dawn.

This article was first published in DailyTawar, an Urdu newspaper in Balochistan. Translation edited by Balochwarna news for precise reading.