50 years of BSO’s struggle

By Riaz Naseer Baloch

On 26 November 2017 Baloch Students Organisation has completed 50 years in Baloch students’ politics. BSO has a magnificent symbolic role in Baloch revolutionary struggle. BSO’s comrades always stand for Baloch and Balochistan national rights on each and every platform. BSO is believed to be the mother organisation of modern Baloch national liberation struggle. BSO has played a primitive role for social equality, justice and freedom. BSO has also played the main role in student’s educational rights and uniting Baloch students in educational institutions.

Let’s have a brief view of BSO’s historical role in politics and education. BSO was founded as a student’s platform for the Baloch students on 26 November 1967 in Karachi. However, it was divided into two main parts due to ideological differences in party politics namely BSO Pajjar and BSO Suhb (Mengal).

As result of this division till 2002, both BSO used to be pocket organisations for parliamentary parties. In 2002 Dr Allah Nazar Baloch founded BSO-Azad and become its leader as an independent student organisation. Later in 2003 BSO Estaar (Star) which was similarly seeking independence from political parties merged into BSO Azad, then the combined organisation was called as BSO Muttahida (United). BSO’ (United) called its council session in Panjgur in 2004, where Dr Imdad Baloch was elected as Chairman.

In March 2005 he was abducted along with Dr Allah Nazar Baloch and other central leaders of BSO from a flat in Karachi by Pakistani security forces. Member of BSO including Shaheed Sohrab Marri set up a hunger strike camp in Quetta for the release of their comrades. Dr Allah Nazar, Imdad and others were later surfaced from Punjab and accused of petty crimes. They were brutally tortured to the extent that Allah Nazar was brought to court on a stretcher.

In December 2005 when Balochistan conflict intensified with army operations following this BSO (Mengal) lead by Chairman Aman Baloch and BSO (Pajjar) lead by Chairman Asif Baloch also merged with BSO Muttahida and formed a United and single BSO. Single BSO Council session was held in Quetta in 2006 and Basheer Zaib Baloch was elected as the Chairman of BSO.

Baloch parliamentary political parties BNP (Balochistan National Party) and NP (National Party) lost their affiliated students wings. They knew they could not survive in Balochistan’s political spectrum without the support of students, so they started to communicate with some of the angry and defeated members of BSO and formed students wings and gave them the name of “BSO”. The student wings of NP and BNP called BSO Pajjar and BSO Muhiuddin accordingly.

The remaining part of BSO was named as BSO Azad which is said to be advocated by the radical Baloch national struggle for liberation after its consolidation by Dr Allah Nazar Baloch in 2002. Basheer Zaib Baloch was once again elected as BSO Azad’s Chairman in 2008 session held in Quetta. It was said to be the peak political time for BSO Azad where more than ever central councillors and zones around Balochistan and other cities joined the national council session of BSO Azad.

BSO Azad called for sabotage strike all over Balochistan when Organisation’s senior vice chairman Zakir Majeed Baloch was abducted and disappeared by Pakistani security forces from Mastung, Balochistan on 8th June 2009. He was a student of BS English when abducted. BSO Azad organised rallies, hunger strike, protests and sabotage and did many efforts for recovery of vice chairman but Zakir didn’t appear. From those days security forces started huge crackdown operation against BSO Azad activists.  Abduction, extrajudicial killing of BSO Azad central leaders and activists is continuing to date.

Qambar Chaker central Committee member of BSO Azad was abducted on 26 November 2010 and his mutilated dead body along with BSO Azad Quetta zone member Ilyas Nazar was found from Turbat on 5th January 2011. Another central committee member Comrade Qayum Baloch was abducted on 11th December 2010, and his bullet-riddled body was found from Turbat on 1st February 2011. Organisation’s central joint secretary Shafi Baloch, who was a kidney patient, was abducted on 17 June 2010, tortured, killed and dumped, and his body was founded on 23 June 2010.

In 2012 BSO Azad called its central council session after four years from the previous session, selected Zahid Kurd aka Baloch Khan as Chairman and Raza Jahangir aka Sheh Mureed as Secretary General. On 14th August 2013 in Turbat Pakistani security forces bombarded at a house where Raza Jahangir aka Sheh Mureed and a member of BNM (Baloch National Movement) named Imdad Bohair were martyred.

Pakistani state forces and agencies abducted, tortured and brutally killed dozens of BSO Azad central leaders and activists. The list of abducted and still missing persons of BSO Azad members is very large.

On 18 March 2013 Chairman Zahid Baloch aka Baloch Khan was abducted by security forces in presence of current Chairperson Karima Baloch and BSO CC member Latif Johar from Quetta city. He is still missing and with dozens of other members and leaders of BSO Azad.

Pakistan proscribed BSO Azad in 2013 a month before the general election in Pakistan showing to the world that it is taking action against fundamentalists. State also banned three others Baloch secular Political parties and continuously supports Pakistani Punjabi Taliban and others similar terrorist groups.

BSO Azad last central council session was called in 2015 where Banuk Karima Baloch was selected as Organisation’s chairperson and Sanaullah Baloch aka Izzat Baloch as Secretary General. Sanaullah aka Izzat Baloch along with central committee members Naseer Ahmad Baloch aka Chirag Baloch and Hassam Baloch aka Nodan have been abducted by Sindh Rangers and intelligence agencies in Karachi on 17 November 2017, while central information secretary Shabeer Baloch aka Lukmeer Baloch is missing since 4th October 2016.

BSO has gone through diverse ups and down from hard to tough phases, but it has sustained the struggle and faced internal and external conspiracies. BSO comrades sacrifice their lives on this hard and long journey to freedom of their country, Balochistan.

Riaz Naseer Baloch can be reached at Shambezae@yahoo.com and his Twitter handle is: @shambezae