Veteran Baloch human rights defender Abdul Qadeer Reki, widely known as Mama Qadeer Baloch, was laid to rest on Sunday in his ancestral town of Surab, where thousands of mourners gathered to bid farewell to a figure long regarded as a symbol of resistance against enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Human rights activists, political and social figures, tribal elders, women and residents from across the region attended the burial.
Mama Qadeer Baloch passed away on Saturday at the age of 85 at a private hospital in Quetta after a prolonged illness.
A retired bank employee, Mama Qadeer entered the struggle for missing persons after the enforced disappearance of his son, Jalil Reki, the information secretary of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), in 2009.
Jalil’s mutilated body was later recovered in November 2011, a tragedy that transformed Mama Qadeer into one of the most recognized voices campaigning against enforced disappearances.
In 2009, he helped set up the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) protest camp outside the Quetta Press Club, which has continued for more than sixteen years.
Under Mama Qadeer’s leadership, the camp operated daily outside the Quetta Press Club, where he maintained a hunger strike from 10:00am to 6:00pm each day as a form of protest.
In 2013, he led a long march on foot from Quetta to Karachi and then to Islamabad, a journey of nearly 3,000 kilometres, to highlight the issue of missing persons, the recovery of mutilated bodies and what advocacy groups describe as systemic human rights violations in Balochistan.
He later carried out advocacy campaigns across the world, including in Washington, Europe and Geneva.
‘A Standard-Bearer of Peaceful Resistance’
In its central statement, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said Mama Qadeer emerged as a “standard-bearer of the Baloch rights movement” and a shining example of courage and perseverance.
The group said he transformed his personal tragedy into “an organized, dignified and historic public movement”. His long march from Quetta to Islamabad, it said, remained “one of the most significant public marches in the history of Balochistan and beyond.”
“Although he is no longer physically among us, his struggle, sacrifice, and vision will remain alive forever,” the statement said, adding that his example would continue to guide future generations.
BYC reaffirmed its commitment to “carry forward his fight against enforced disappearances and Baloch genocide” in a more organized and stronger manner.
Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Sammi Deen Baloch said Mama Qadeer’s passing had deprived the Baloch nation of “a living, dynamic, and resistant chapter of its history”.
She said he was “not merely a father searching for his missing son, but the collective voice of every grieving parent” affected by enforced disappearances.
“He undertook long protest marches so the world could no longer take refuge in silence,” she said.
Describing his death as “an irreparable loss”, she added: “He lives on in every mother waiting for her disappeared son, in every sister protesting on the streets, and in every young person who refuses to accept injustice as fate.”
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen said Mama Qadeer’s sixteen-year protest sit-in had exposed “the colonial reality of the Pakistani state” for oppressed nations.
He said the VBMP camp had now completed more than 6,000 days, a testament to the persistence of his struggle.
Pashteen said Mama Qadeer’s resistance strengthened national consciousness among oppressed peoples and raised fundamental questions about whether the state was willing to grant rights to movements pursuing justice peacefully.
He said movements would succeed only if they remained consistent, uncompromising and rooted in national principles.
The Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad) said it honoured Mama Qadeer as “an enduring symbol of continuous struggle” whose sacrifices would be remembered “in golden letters” in Baloch national history.
The group said he demonstrated that national struggle was not dependent on age or physical strength, but on “resolve, political consciousness and national awareness”.
It said Mama Qadeer marched across difficult terrain even in old age, faced harassment and threats from state institutions, yet “did not retreat a single step”.
He became a united voice for families of the forcibly disappeared, BSO Azad said, noting that his title “Mama” was earned through humility, courage and a lifetime of sacrifice.
BSO Azad said his steadfastness would remain a “guiding light” for the Baloch nation, reminding people that through collective resolve and the philosophy of relentless struggle, “the long journey toward freedom” would continue.
Related:
Veteran Rights Activist Mama Qadeer Baloch Passes Away in Quetta
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