Prominent Baloch activist Dr Mahrang Baloch has written an emotional letter to her family from prison, expressing her thoughts on the hardships they have endured and the ongoing struggle for Baloch rights. The letter, addressed to her siblings, highlights the resilience and sacrifices of Baloch families amid adversity.
Mahrang Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), is currently imprisoned in Huda Jail in Quetta under the 3 MPO (Maintenance of Public Order).
Her sister, Nadia Baloch, shared this letter on social media. In the letter, Mahrang wrote:
My Dearest Sisters and My Only Brother, Nasir Jan,
I am aware of the challenges I have brought upon you and how I have put you all through a tough time again at an early age. Since 2011, we have faced difficult times, but this is the story of every Baloch household today. Whenever you feel weak, look at your surroundings.
I know I have carried the weight of responsibility for you all, hoping that this burden would never fall upon your shoulders. But living in Balochistan, this can happen and even worse can happen. Be mentally prepared for it.
During our first meeting in prison, for the first time, I saw myself in you. The same restlessness, the same anxiety, the same desperate struggle to make things right again. This is what it means to be bound by blood. But what can we do? This, too, is written in our fate. This is every Baloch’s fate.
I am writing this letter from my prison cell because there are things I could not express in prison when we met. This life is a new experience for me, and I have yet to learn the art of speaking to my siblings from a prison cell. I wanted to give you courage, but I lacked the words. Now, I am finding that courage, and you will too, as time passes. Remember how we all found the courage when our father was martyred?
I had wished that despite growing up as orphans, your lives would be filled with peace and happiness. I had hoped that you would never have to face police raids and visit prison again. But what can we do? These trials are the harshest reality of a life lived in resistance. We cannot shape our lives according to our wishes in Balochistan. It may become harder, but it is never easy.
Our father made the decision for us when he dedicated himself to Baloch rights. And after him, we all embraced his philosophy and committed ourselves to this struggle. Now, in these difficult times, you must take care of one another and be each other’s support.
Never forget: True strength is not just physical; it is mental and ideological. Strengthen yourselves mentally and ideologically. Be each other’s support. Never allow yourselves to break. And always remember, your sister is not weak. Weakness is not something we inherited.
This is the time to be strong, to remain committed, and to stand with your Baloch brothers and sisters.
May Allah protect you all. May Allah protect Balochistan. I don’t know the exact date of Eid when I am writing this letter, but I wish you and my nation an early Eid Mubarak.
Best wishes,
Mahrang Baloch
Written from my prison cell
Thursday, 27 March