It’s the mother who takes a nation to greater heights. It’s the mother who leads a revolution. Shari Baloch, alias Bramsh, is one such revolutionary mother who blew herself up at the gates of Karachi University killing three Chinese officials and seriously injuring another.
This wasn’t a suicide attack, mind you. Shari Baloch was a proud mother of two children and a caring wife. A post graduate, Shari was pursuing M.Phil. and could have made a great career for herself. Yet she chose to be a revolutionary, became the first female fidayeen for the Majeed Brigade of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and attacked China in Karachi.
Why? Asks the civilized world.
Yes it’s indeed a tragedy that a well-educated Baloch mother had to blow herself up at Karachi University for the civilized world to take note of inhuman atrocities being committed by Pakistan and China across Balochistan.
Over seventy thousand innocent Baloch men, women and children have been abducted by Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies across occupied Balochistan. The hapless family members know nothing about the whereabouts of their loved ones who have just ‘disappeared’. More than ten thousand Baloch have been ‘killed and dumped’ by Paki forces during the last decade. And these aren’t blank statistics, rather a humungous tragedy.
Entire indigenous Baloch population is being steadily wiped out and the world doesn’t even know about it. Baloch genocide must have been the top international news every day. Isn’t it? Do we see any debate, discussion and/or op-ed pieces on Baloch massacre? No. None.
In 2020 widespread protests erupted across occupied Balochistan after cold- blooded murder of Hayat Baloch. Hayat was a college student and was returning home after studies when he was shot dead by Pakistani forces. The only ‘weapons’ found in his possession were pen and books! In any part of the world cold-blooded murder of a student by security forces would have raised a furore, but not in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan. Information flow and news emanating from Balochistan is strictly regulated. Hardly anyone in the ‘civilized world’ has heard about Hayat Baloch’s brutal murder. All five-star human rights activists continue to maintain a deafening silence.
Hayat Baloch was not the only one who was murdered by Pakistanis. Taj Bibi, Naz Baloch, Karima Baloch, Shahid Hussain… the list of Baloch slaughtered by the Pakistanis seems endless. There have been instances when Paki forces have sent mutilated dead bodies to Baloch mothers on Eid, with‘Eid Mubarak’ inscribed on the dead son’s chest.
Ironically the civilized world never dared to question Pakistan or China over Baloch genocide. Worse, it seems they don’t care about Balochistan. Part of this indifference stems from West’s appeasement policy towards Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
“We have now got used to picking up the dead bodies of our loved ones,” a Baloch mother said poignantly at a discussion forum held recently. When faced with such catastrophe the only option left with Baloch mothers is to retaliate and revolt. And this is precisely what Shari Baloch did on April 26 when she turned herself into a human bomb.
Shari Baloch targeting the Chinese officials of Confucius Institute at Karachi was the result of deep thought.
“Targeting director and officials of Confucius institute, the symbol of Chinese economic, cultural and political expansionism, was to give a clear message to China that its direct or indirect presence in Balochistan will not be tolerated. BLA has warned China several times to refrain from looting Baloch resources and aiding Pakistan militarily and financially in carrying out Baloch genocide. However, China continues to be involved in its expansionist designs in Balochistan,” reads the media statement of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Shari Baloch had joined BLA’s Majeed Brigade two years ago and voluntarily signed up for self-sacrificing (fidayeen) mission. As per BLA Majeed Brigade’s established procedure Shari Baloch was given time to revisit her decision. “During these two years, Shari rendered her services in different units of Majeed Brigade. Six months ago she confirmed that she continues to stand by her decision of carrying out a self-sacrificing attack. After that she was actively involved in her mission,” BLA explained in its statement.
And this is just the beginning. Within a span of three months BLA’s Majeed Brigade has carried out three high profile attacks that has dented the morale of Pakistan Army. On Feb 2 this year, sixteen highly motivated BLA fidayeens attacked Pakistan’s military bases at Panjgur and Nushki killing more than 190 Pakistani soldiers, several of which were Pak’s elite SSG commandoes. On April 26, Shari Baloch attacked China, Pakistan’s partner in Baloch genocide, at Karachi.
(Photo: News Intervention)
It would do good to the civilized world if it makes efforts to understand the underlying reasons that led a Baloch mother to leave her family and lay down her life for the larger good of Balochistan. It’s only when the civilized world acts deaf and dumb that the revolutionaries are forced to shed blood.
A revolutionary’s success is measured by the deep psychological impact created by his/her actions on the masses. And here lies Shari Baloch’s accomplishment. A fatal attack on Chinese officials at Karachi by a Baloch woman has shattered several glass ceilings. Apart from Balochistan, Shari Baloch has galvanized other oppressed people such as the Sindhi, Pashtuns and Hazaras as well, who have been at the receiving end of Pak-China tyranny.