Agha Abid Shah: An inevitable leader
Shaad Baloch
A numerous Baloch has yet given the sacrifices of their lives on the way of bringing a hope for a lifelong existence. It is considered a privileged status, to be among the national heroes who despite having a luxurious life laid the lives for a glinting future of a nation.
Among those thousands of sacrificed, there comes the name of a brave son who opened his eyes in Panjgur, namely Agha Abid Shah. He was an influential activist of BSO, worked tirelessly and attempted to play his role that may allow students from any corner of Balochistan to be politically matured. In fact, it was his commitment and thoughtfulness that made him to stood for the position of Vice-Chairman of BSO-Azad.
“Dying is a difficult task, but the Baloch fighters and young activists who are bravely devoting their lives, dispels one thing, dying is not much hard if it is for a determined resolution and national progress”, martyr Agha Abid Shah once said in a speech.
Agha Abid Shah, whether that is the student’s politics of his career in affiliation with BSO or activism on the platform of Baloch National Movement, has a great influence on grooming of the student’s consciousness level. As I remember when I took admission in college where I always found a man engaged discussing various topics with some of his colleagues. By the passage of time when our entire class was once called to attend a ceremony conducted by BSO there, I became able to know who Agha Abid Shah was. When he was called upon the stage, the whole gathering stood up and applauded him in a way that compelled me to listen to him till the end.
I pined my ears attentively to his speech. He began the speech from the student’s role and politics and carried it to have a glance at the regional political circumstances for a cause that could pave ways for a mass involvement. I learnt many things and my thirst of knowing more enhanced and fortunately got a blessing to learn gradually in presence of him.
Agha Abid Shah once said, “Every Baloch either a writer, poet, teacher, mother or sister if contributes commensurately then it is my belief the Baloch cause will move forward and towards its victorious ends”.
He was among the great legends of Balochistan, a good speaker and book lover. He was one of the activists and leaders of BSO-Azad, his thoughts about BSO mentioned once by him that, “BSO-Azad has a great role to play for the Baloch independence movement, its aim is to get students on a single way out that should pave ways for a better future in terms of contributions”.
As far as the Baloch politics and students involvement is concerned in a place like Panjgur, Agha Abid Shah comes among the activists who played his utmost role conveying the campaign of awareness regarding Baloch and its political movement. There it happened to bring a change and people gradually got to know what Baloch require to have in their sentiments.
Agha Abid Shah along with his colleagues always found debating over the cause of Baloch and political variations could have an influence on the context of Baloch’s activism. He was always seen having newspapers, anywhere, in any place people often found him presentable. He was socially constructed man and always wanted to be a part of social activism as well.
After his student life and political career his thirst of being with people never ended, he found the platform of Baloch National Movement as a party where he could carry his philosophy regarding Baloch. He was such an impressive leader with attractive guts and arts anyone could love to listen attentively.
However, as usual, Agha Abid Shah like other active activists was blamed and alleged to have connections with the opponents of Baloch, this false certification from the people around even could not depilate his feelings and vision. He continued his activism and never got fatigued. Every time, on every occasion he was found to be interestingly involved.
But he was not more tolerated due to his political activism and affiliation with a cause of Baloch and the state forces intelligence agencies on 15 August 2010 whisked him away along with his political friends Mater Safeer Baloch and Master Abdul Sattar Baloch in broad daylight in presence of hundreds of people from the crowded Chitkan market, Panjgur.
After a continuous nine months of enforced disappearance, the mutilated bodies of all three were recovered from a barren far-flung mountainous area of Panjgur on 11 May 2011.
Today, he is no more with the political activists but his precious thoughts and ideas will live forever.