By Sangeen Baluch
There are moments in history that do not merely pass as dates on a calendar; they become wounds, memories, and symbols that live forever within a nation’s consciousness. Some events are so powerful that they reshape the way people think, challenge old beliefs, and awaken emotions that had long remained buried. For me, one such moment arrived on 26 April.
26 April is a date that can never be erased from my memory because of the legacy it created. Something extraordinary happened on that day, something that struck my mind and filled my heart with pride. From that moment onward, my thoughts and understanding of Baloch women changed completely. I realised that our mothers and sisters are not born merely to cook or clean; they can achieve things that the mind struggles to comprehend and consciousness struggles to endure.
Since the day I became aware of the world, from 2001 until 2022, this was the first event of its kind that I witnessed with my own understanding. There had always been inspiring examples of women who fought for their rights and homeland. My mother would often speak the names of women such as Gull Bibi, Banadi, and many others. But for my generation, this was the first story we truly witnessed ourselves.
It was something unimaginable. How could a woman leave behind her joyful life, her family, her husband, her two children, her career, and every comfort she possessed, only to choose sacrifice and disappear from before our eyes? Yet, through that sacrifice, she remained forever alive in the hearts of the people. Shaari sacrificed herself. She wore explosives, faced bullets, and became immortal through her actions. Her spirit continues to live in the air of Balochistan, inspiring the birth of countless more Shaaris today.
Before Shaari, if there was anyone who deeply impressed me, it was Karima, The-Luma. I knew her from my childhood. I would see her picture everywhere and listen to her motivational speeches through the media. She was an iron lady: a woman wearing a Balochi sareeg, embroidered with traditional Balochi doch, often covering her face, yet impossible to overlook. Everywhere, she stood on the front lines, speaking with the courage of a lion in a society dominated by men.
She was always an ideal figure to me, not because of her beauty, but because of her courage, bravery, strength, and, above all, her leadership. She always told the truth. She never condemned the armed struggle and believed that the only path toward freedom and a free homeland was resistance. In her view, we faced an enemy so ruthless that it understood no language other than war and the gun.
After losing Karima in 2020, Shaari became another figure who deeply touched my inner self. I came to believe that she represented the kind of path people choose when they are willing to sacrifice everything for a cause they believe in.
Although it is a moment that fills many with pride, Shaari did not choose this path with happiness in her heart. The circumstances imposed by the state compelled her to do so. It is never easy for someone to willingly leave behind a joyful life and walk towards destruction and sacrifice. Surely, at some point, she must have thought about her happiness, her children, and the life she was leaving behind. But the situation in Balochistan had become such a nightmare for her that she could no longer accept living in slavery.
The daily enforced disappearance of women, the killing of women such as Malik Naz in the middle of the night inside her own home, the abuse and humiliation of Baloch women in prisons, and the countless hardships they continue to endure, these realities shaped her decision. Female students face enforced disappearance, harassment in colleges and universities, and are denied the chance to study in peace. They are punished even for demanding their basic rights. When women come onto the streets to demand the safe release of their loved ones, they are insulted, dragged, imprisoned, their scarves thrown away, and their hair pulled in public. Harassment and intimidation have become part of their daily lives.
These are only some of the many sufferings that Baloch women endure every day. It was these conditions that pushed Shaari towards such a life-sacrificing decision.
As we often say, people need motivation to build courage and overcome fear. The same thing happened here. After Shaari, many others stepped onto the battlefield with even more shocking acts of sacrifice. Most recently, during Herof Phase Two, we witnessed not just one woman, but several, among them 60-year-old Hatam Naz, Banadi Baloch, Maryam, Hawa, and Zarina, who sacrificed themselves for the sake of their motherland. Shaari was one, but after her, the caravan continued to grow.
This reflects the strength and determination of women on the battlefield and shows that Baloch women stand equal to the Baloch men who are fighting and struggling within armed groups. The participation of women in such numbers during a single operation also reinforces the position of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a military force in Balochistan and highlights the level of trust it has built among the people. Today, many Baloch men and women believe that war is the only path to reclaiming their land and their country, and they are prepared for that struggle without hesitation.
Women like Shaari, and those who followed her, women who left behind their homes, children, comfort, and ordinary lives to join the BLA, clearly believed in the path laid out by General Aslam Baloch. It is a path built upon sacrifice, where both men and women give their lives with the belief that such sacrifices will not go unrewarded. Their blood will not be shed in vain. There must be meaning and results behind all this hardship, blood, and suffering. The martyrs envisioned a future of freedom, and for that dream they struggled until their final breath, giving every drop of blood and every ounce of strength they possessed.
The participation of women alongside their brothers has also increased the insecurities of the Pakistani state and strengthened the image of the BLA as a powerful armed force. These insecurities become visible when Pakistani forces disappear innocent Baloch female students from educational institutions and react with fear even towards peaceful resistance. In some cases, women associated with the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) were pressured to appear at press clubs and publicly distance themselves from the organisation. Such actions reflect the confusion of a state that imprisons civilians and students while struggling to confront those actively engaged in armed resistance. At the same time, these insecurities also reveal the growing influence and significance that armed struggle has gained within the conflict.
Shaari was a beginning, an ideal, a path that gave birth to many others. She became a symbol of resistance and strength, much like Pelageya in the novel Mother. In Mother, the author portrays women as resilient figures in times of conflict and suffering. Pelageya, an ordinary mother, gains courage after witnessing the hardships faced by her son and her people. She transforms from a frightened woman into a passionate voice for justice and resistance.
In many ways, Baloch women followed a similar path. After witnessing the extrajudicial killings of their children, the enforced disappearance of their people, the burning of homes, and the harassment faced by women and children at the hands of the Pakistan Army, many were pushed towards resistance. These experiences forced them to take steps they may never have imagined before.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Balochistan Post or any of its editors.