November 13th was commemorated as the Baloch ‘Martyrs’ Day’ in Balochistan and several European countries. Admirers paid homage to the “fallen soldiers of the land” by organizing events and candlelight vigils in their memory.
According to the details, National Democratic Party and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons organized a rally in the provincial capital Quetta to commemorate the day. Scores of participants, including women and children, carried portraits and life-size images of the ‘martyrs’ and marched on the roads of Quetta. The rally culminated with a candlelight vigil in front of the Quetta Press Club.
The speakers, addressing the rally, said that Baloch are a symbol of resistance, and the ‘martyrs of the land’, with their commendable sacrifices, have engendered widespread enlightenment in Balochistan.
‘Baloch martyrs’ day’ was also observed in several other areas of Balochistan with candlelight vigils and langar distributions.
In Hannover, Germany, the Baloch National Movement organized a “candle program.” Scores of participants gathered at one of the busiest sites in the city. They laid down hundreds of portraits of the ‘martyrs’ and played the Italian revolutionary song Bella Ciao and Balochi songs to remember the “resistance, steadfastness and altruism” of the “martyrs of the land.”
An event was also organized the German capital Berlin where participants organized a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the “Baloch martyrs.”
A candlelight vigil was also organized in South Korea to commemorate the day.
Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a webinar, which was attended by large number of activists. Several renowned human rights campaigners and political leaders addressed the webinar.
Baloch political and rights activists organized a social media campaign on Twitter where hundreds of Pashtoon and Muhajir activists also participated and paid their tributes to the “Baloch martyrs.”
Balochistan Liberation Movement, a pro-independence political movement in Balochistan, said in a statement on Saturday that the “Baloch martyrs’ day” was observed not only in Balochistan but beyond the borders as well. Salaar Baloch, the spokesperson for the group, said that every Baloch is obliged to remember the philosophy of the “Baloch martyrs” and abide by it. He said that BLM had directed every one of its zonal bodies to observe the day with zeal and enthusiasm.
It is pertinent to mention that 13th November is remembered as the “Baloch martyrs’ day” among the Baloch community in Balochistan and beyond. The Baloch pro-independence groups designated November 13th as the “Baloch martyrs’ day” in 2010, it is widely commemorated by people from varying schools of thought.
They particularly chose November 13th because on this very day in 1839, Mehrab Khan, the then head of the state, and several of his comrades battled the British Empire to defend their land and lost their lives. The pro-independence groups argue that this day marked the initiation of a chain of “martyrdoms” that has not ceased to this day.