The last take: ‘More than 6,000 families have lost their breadwinners’

T2F hosts session that was cancelled at LUMS some weeks earlier.

KARACHI: He read a scripted speech. It had been said before. Never heard, but said several times before. His words resonated the cries of over 21,000 families. Those who have lost their loved ones for reasons they cannot fully comprehend; those who have no idea where their loved ones have disappeared, each passing day waning the thin veil of hope that keeps them going.

For the last six years, Mama Qadeer has repeated these words at almost every avenue he can think of. His questions have been met with silent stares, apologetic smiles and often, indifference. There have been promises of justice. None have been fulfilled.

“The Baloch have been fighting for their culture and tradition since the creation of Pakistan in 1947,” says Qadeer, at a talk, titled ‘Unsilencing Balochistan (Take-2)’ at The Second Floor (T2F) cafe on Friday. The session itself was an act of defiance to the status quo, which had forced the ‘first take’ of the talk to be cancelled at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. The T2F founder and owner, Sabeen Mahmud, thought her premises will be able to withstand the pressure and host the talk nevertheless. She was shot dead an hour after the talk ended.

On March 27, 1948, recalls Qadeer, the Baloch were deprived of their rights. They are still fighting for independence in an independent country, he says. Qadeer explained the series of incidents that led to the problems in the mineral-rich province and why he formed the ‘Voice of Baloch Missing Persons’ (VBMP).

“Baloch leaders and political activists were abducted, tortured and imprisoned for years,” he says, adding that over 21,000 men have been abducted since 2008. The media is not allowed to give them the coverage they deserve, he laments.

“My innocent son was kidnapped, tortured and killed?” questions Qadeer, his voice booming over the packed room. “We found his tortured body after three years,” he sighs heavily.

The Baloch have received more than 6,000 brutally tortured bodies of their loved ones. “Every promise had been broken. No political party, civil society organisation or media has helped us in this case,” he says. “Our only demand is that, if all the abducted activists are criminals, then present them in courts and punish them legally instead of torturing and killing them.”

Fellow activist and member of the VMBP, Farzana Baloch, has lost her brother, Zakir Majeed. They still don’t know where he is. “In terms of minerals, resources and talent, Balochistan is the richest province. But its people are unlucky,” she says.

Another activist who has stood by Qadeer since the beginning of his struggle, Mir Muhammad Ali Talpur, has even sorrier number to share. “Around 169 bodies were found in eight mass graves in Balochistan. Only six were identified; the others were not even discernible.” According to the VMBP, there are unconfirmed reports of several mass graves in the province.

So why has the Pakistani media kept silent about this blatant violation of human rights? Sabeen had invited three journalists to answer this question.

Wusutullah Khan, a well-known figure and BBC Urdu correspondent, compares the media organisations to soap factories. “How can you expect the labourer to work when the owner does not want anything to do with the matter?” he questions. “Every media group is an investment and our media industry takes its own calculated risks.”

Khan does, however, have his own sarcasm to share. He claims he feels happy when the government stops Qadeer from delivering a speech at a university or any public forum. “This way, the international media gives you more coverage than you would have received through your talk,” he smiles at Qadeer.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2015.