On 2nd May 2020, Baloch Liberation Army announced in a statement that two of their organisation members embraced martyrdom in a battle against Pakistani forces and their local death squads.
In Balochistan getting killed in a military operation or in a battle is normal. In Last two decades thousands of people have become victims of state brutalities. Due to the huge number of deaths and casualties, mostly such news get ignored without receiving any proper attention from the local and international media. This time was different, these BLA fighters were famous faces in Baloch society and even in Islamabad the capital of Pakistan. Both Shahdad and Ehsan were Master’s degree holders from Quaid-e-Azam University and had previously participated in student politics and social activism before joining the Baloch armed group, BLA.
Both Ehsan and Shahdad have encountered the inhuman behaviour of Pakistani state during their student lives. Shahdad was once abducted and later released. He was also beaten up by the secret services members and religious goons in QAU.
The news of their killing went viral in a matter of minutes after BLA’s announcement. From Balochistan to Punjab, Karachi to Peshawar and even outside Balochistan, the news became talk of the town. Their professors, colleagues and friends were mourning and remembering the two brave and intelligent souls and blaming the state for not listening to the youths and not letting them to practice their basic human rights and pushing them to the wall, which resulted in them joining the arm struggle against the state oppression of their people.
Every eye was mourning, and every person was in a state of shock, that such intelligent and bright students could take arms and start fighting against a power that they cannot defeat. They were also acknowledging that both Baloch students Shahdad and Ehsan were forced to join the armed struggle because there is no room and space for peaceful political activism in the State of Media. They were even part of the democratic student right protests. As a result of those protests, Shahdad was brutally tortured and they were reminded that the state will not listen to any weak voices.
No one would want to see such bright and intelligent individuals go in such a short time, there is no doubt if they had lived more, they would have done much more for the Baloch nation. But I believe that they have not emotionally taken such a serious decision and choose the path that can lead to only two things, one a hard and strict life and second undoubtedly the death of martyrdom.
I have seen some comments and posts on social media by people claiming that the bright and intelligent youth were brainwashed and blackmailed emotionally to join the arm resistance.
Individuals were also trying to make an unnecessary comparison between the struggle and sacrifices of Shahdad Baloch and Ehsan Baloch with comrade Sabeen Mehmood and famous Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain (who’s dead body was found recently in Uppsala, Sweden), forgetting the fact that each one of them was equally resisting against the state brutalities. Indeed, they were using different means of struggle but they all would agree on one basic fact that the Pakistani state and military does not care and respect the basic human rights and freedoms of people. I am not here to judge anyone or to begin an unnecessary debate. But if someone asks me about this incident, I will undoubtedly say this should not have happened or at least not too soon, but I am also not in favour to judge the Baloch youth without knowing or feeling the pain and agony they were going through and how much brutalities they have faced in torture cells, or on the streets of Islamabad or in the Quaid-e-Azam University.
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.