A lesson to learn from 13th of November, the Baloch Martyrs’ Day
Ehsan Baloch
People say occupied lands need sacrifices to break the chains of slavery and marching towards a better and brighter future. Although liberation movements are not as easy as they apprehend to be, but it is a long journey. As said beautifully, if revolution was this easy, each day we would have witnessed a new state emerging in the world map. Because hundreds of groups and nations are under severe hurdles and cannot make to a revolutionary movement to set themselves free, since revolution demands the hardest nature of sacrifices; sacrifices of all the worldly wishes; sacrifices of family and friends; sacrifices of lives; sacrifices of everything that hinders between you and your destination – liberation. Your self dies when you participate in a revolutionary movement. All your wishes belong to your ideology on which you have taken oath to be a part of it. Nevertheless, all a revolutionary activist demands for is merely liberation of his occupied land from outsiders.
Balochistan is one such land. Outsiders have come in this pure land and converted the beautiful land into a bloody field. They have kept under their besiege the territory and resources of the Baloch land. They have under their capture the Baloch honor against which our Sarmachars (Freedom Fighters) have turned to the mountains to fight. History witnesses Baloch have never bowed down to an external power and will never.
Consequently, Baloch history is proud to have Mir Mehrab Khan, the former Khan of Kalat who was martyred when protecting his motherland from the scavengers, the British army, on 13th of November, 1839. He is awarded with the title of being the First Martyr of the Baloch land of the modern age by Baloch Students Organization (Azad). His heroism and courage in fighting the Britishers are exemplary. Despite knowing that they (the Britishers) are far strong militarily and with modernized weaponries, Khan did not step back staying loyal to his motherland – The Baloch Land. In order to remember the heroic of Khan Mir Mehrab Khan, Baloch Students Organization (Azad) declared to observe 13th of November as the Martyrs’ Day of Balochistan in 2010.
After the British invasion to the Baloch Land from 1839 to 1947, they felt the need to install a country around to secure their interests in this region. They formed a country, Pakistan, which is till today the colony of other states and has become a colonizer of the Baloch Land. Upon their formation, they forcibly annexed Balochistan with them on which Baloch are struggling by now to set their nation free from this by-night-formed state and the master-mind-states of the world who intend to loot the Baloch land.
Since the forceful annexation of Pakistan into Balochistan, numerous Baloch have sacrificed their lives in the protection of their land and the sea. Pakistan has absorbed so many Baloch lives in her thirst of ruling the Baloch land, not without the consent of Baloch but through the use of force. Consequently, it has still in Balochistan its rule but naked.
Thousands of Baloch sons have kept aside their lives and dedicated everything to their beloved and revered land. To pay them a rich tribute, Baloch Students Organization (Azad) observes this day in which entire Balochistan mourn and feel proud to belong to a land of brave children. As they have always thought beyond their personal lives and gave more priority to the national independence upon which they got martyred by the “unholy” army of the given State.
I pay red solutes to the Baloch heroes who have always been present for their land. Hopefully, their efforts won’t go in van and the rest of the Baloch – the ones who are in mountains and those who are in their homes – recognize their duties as to the independence of this land and play their key role in further execution of the independence plan. It is very common about revolutionary movements that: “Every individual’s single act contributes a lot to the national movement and the national interests.”
Above all, we are not to let Baloch martyrs’ corpses go useless and unsung by remaining tacit to everything going around and participate in the movement in one way or the other. There exists no “middle way” in revolutionary or war-torn movements. All we can do is, at least, we do not sell ourselves to scavengers. How would you show your face to the Baloch martyrs? Death is truth. So, have a death worth immortal.
May we all get a little bit influence in this Martyrs’ Day from our brave heroes which would be the real success of this day. We will meet soon someday.
Long live Balochistan.
Down with Pakistan.