Karima Baloch: a missing comrade

Sometimes we don’t know that they’re dying young, at the very peak of their youth, in a time when they are needed for people rights, equality and social justice. But the beautiful never remain with us that much long, they’re like flowers, they have a life only in a spring. (For me the beauty is ideological commitment, clear minded, bravo and courageous here).

We believe in we’re mortal as humans, but the thoughts, philosophies, narrative we have worked on will live forever and boost up when watered by our lives.

No doubt Banuk Karima was of the list of people, we’re and we will be forever impressed of. They are following the ideology and philosophy with firm commitment instead of the hardships, tortures, psychological pressures. Though, I won’t have words to express Banuk, but will try to share the story of how she impressed people.

We knew #KarimaBslich as a Baloch nationalist comrade and BSO-Azad activist when we were students in the university. Students politics is the best part of the active youths among Pashtun and Baloch students, those in maybe having different opinions on the subjects but are having the same destiny. Same was ours.

As we were part of Pashtoonkhwa Students Organization and were having a keen observation of the geopolitical and geostrategic politics, the leftist and nationalist theories and ideology as a focus point and were active to change these thoughts into actions. This was the post 9 11 era of political scenario in the region, globally terrorism, extremism and proxy war was at peak. That escalated a stir in the regional and nationalist politics as well, as a complex political debate.

Believe me, I was jealous of her (Banuk) being too much active and vocal for the people, motherland, rights and equality. Why could not we the boys do that bravely? Maybe we the political students do think of each other. She would join the forefront of demonstrations, agitation, eid day rallies with the families of the Baloch missing persons.

She’s ignoring all hurdles, from threats, taboos, patriarchy to the tyranny in her way. This is what we call political “resistance”. Every missing Baloch youth, his tortured and dumped body was her subject to agitate over, to gather fellow students and to condemn it to the highest possible level through a peaceful mean, a civilized approach.

We would discuss in our organizations ranks that it’s Banuk who is the pioneer of motivating women in the Baloch nationalist politics when the boys are either missing or faces death threats in Balochistan. And that’s why she is not only a political face of the victims but a feminist hero as well. She this way proved that the Baloch nation has raised its children to the core of enlightenment equally irrespective of gender. That’s how she became the chairgirl of the Baloch nationalist front– the Baloch Students Organization (Azad).

The reasonof her charismatic leadership characteristics made her and led her to accept the BSO Azad leadership for the first time in organization’s seven decade long history, or I will say in scientific political history of the region as a whole. There should have been individual women and girls for heroic struggle in the folk stories of Baloch nation, but in a scientifically organized political movement, Banuk made a new history, an objective struggle that none can ignore.

Though she was not having an English like most of the people who attend the private schooling, and are from the hi-fi families but a simple one that would be used to impress the listener through her points connecting her case of the Baloch nation miseries, exploitations and oppressions on all fronts. The same was her way to put forward her case in Urdu.

Her speeches impressed us beside we had different point of view on the contemporary political affairs, history, culture, civilization and mode of politics we had been through.

Karima was brilliant, bravo, energetic committed and the key area of her activism for us was the point how she could motivate fellow sisters in a massive way to join politics in a time when male were reluctant to do so. This is a reason that many of them were from the directly or indirectly from the missing persons families.

Though we could not talk in the university life, but I as a journalist covering the stories would go more deeper into the investigation pieces, or to clear myself on the issues. One of such topic was the Zikris Baloch being targeted for their beliefs and political activism in Awaran region.

When I texted her Banuk, I am having a story on Zikris Baloch, but am away from Quetta, would it be possible to let me know someone to talk to? Just in P.S. I explained that I was the university student earlier and a Pashtoonkhwa Students Organization activist then.

The day her message came back, and we talked about the story, and the required information I needed for United Press International.

I felt her more heart touching, more clear, and a voice of her more caring because she’s away from home and a migrant in Canada now. Hearing someone from a YouTube speech and talking to her directly is much more different. I felt her voice having the heavy weight of feelings, clearity, commitment and bravery. I observed her voice she was missing the people, her comrades and motherland more, as human psychology differ in loneliness and away from the field of sufferings.

Because in the field you will be fine by thousands of people surrounding you and as a leader your fellows and you will exchange courage and motivation. When far away, you become a bit more nervous because you miss the event to be in and lessen your pressure that way.

This I have felt in her fellow comrades, her mother, sister, brother and life partner voices published in international media stories on her demise.

Then time and again we would use Skype to contact.

She would never ask me who I was, as many of the people under threat would confirm the originality of the person they’re talking to. As a code for self security. It may have been her understanding of the situation and people she had known through her activism and more credit goes to her being committed to the cause and understandings with bravery.

This remained our connection forever, but owing to her security issues, I couldn’t disturb her. Because I knew she was busy in all her activities abroad. Now I miss why couldn’t I asked her life, her feelings, her solitude in Canada– after the threats to her life pushed to go abroad? At least that would have been a nice chat with a missing comrade.