February 25, 2022

By Xari Jalil

LAHORE

Veteran Baloch politician Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch has died in a car accident in the Bahawalpur district of Punjab on Friday, February 25, as confirmed by his family. 
According to his son, Changez Baloch, his father left Quetta on Thursday morning, to attend Dr Qadir Magsi’s (Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party) public meeting in Hyderabad. After that, he was to go to Lahore to attend a personal engagement. However before he crossed South Punjab, he met with an accident whose details are still being sought. To attend to the matter Changez will be travelling to Lahore to find out.
“My father was everyone’s father figure,” said Changez. “He was a kind, humble and principled man. Whatever he did, will always live on as his legacy. It is the end of an era.”
Changez also said that his father had struggled for the marginalized section of society, and that is why he was popular among people.
Dr Hayee has left behind three sons, four daughters and a widow.
PUBLIC MEETING IN HYDERABAD
Speaking to Voicepk.net, Dr Qadir Magsi leader of the STPP, said he was shocked and saddened to find out about the death of Dr Hayee Baloch. He said that only last night (Thursday) he had given his speech, where he had said that  Sindh and Balochistan had ancient links and that these links must be made even stronger. Dr Hayee had also said that the Pushtuns should also be included in these relations and together they must build a strong front to counter any others who use and steal their resources without accountability.
He also said that there should be realpolitik (“haqeeqi jamhooriyat”).
“He was a politician of the grassroots, a very down to earth man, and always stood up against feudalism,” said Dr Magsi. “He was an active member of the National Awami Party (NAP) in the 1970s and truly represented the youth.”
Dr Hayee Baloch, Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, had both refused to vote in favour of  Pakistan’s constitution in 1973. He was the founding chairman of the Baloch Students Organization in 1967 and fought hard against Ayub Khan’s dictatorship in the late 1960s. He also founded the Balochistan National Youth Movement (BNYM) in 1988, which was a continuation of the NAP; he was also elected as senator in 1994, later he formed the Balochistan National Movement (BNM), and was President of the National Party from 2003 until 2013. He parted ways when he thought the party was joining hands with undemocratic forces.
In 2018, he founded the Balochistan National Democratic Party (NDP).
Senior journalist Hamid Mir was also present at the public meeting, where he was given a Mother Land award in relation to Mother Language Day.
Mir said that he and Dr Abdul Hayee were together on stage, and in his speech he had said that the 1973 constitution had failed.
“He hugged me and I felt strange as to why he was being so emotional,” said Mir while speaking to Voicepk.net. “We discussed the constitution and he said that it had failed because people like him believed in a peaceful struggle, but because of undemocratic forces, this never remained peaceful. Today the youth did not even listen to him when he tried to stop them,” said Mir.
He also said that Dr Hayee had not supported the constutuion even at that time because it did not address his concerns about makingregional languages national languages, and that each province should have rightful first access to its own resources, before any other.
He said he was in deep shock since Dr Hayee’s sudden death.
“I must point out he was the only nationalist leader who belonged to the middle class.”
Dr Hayee Baloch was a high moral man whose politics wasn’t for any position. He struggled against Sardars and Nawabs and played an important role in Baloch nationalism for many decades.

According to said that judiciary was not independent in the country while media faced curbs and ordinances to gag it.

He urged people to wage a consistent struggle to defeat tyrants and said that the people of Gwadar took to the streets to demand their rights since the status quo could not be broken without a target-oriented struggle. Usurpers eyed resources and lands in Balochistan and Sindh, he said.

Dr Abdul Maalik

While recounting his past in politics, Dr Abdul Maalik Baloch, one of his closest friends said that he was an immensely committed political worker, and a truly progressive man. He always struggled for democracy. “He never had any pride, and never wanted any kind of special treatment. He was a simple man. After his loss, people in Balochistan are bereft of a progressive approach.”

Dr Hayee Baloch rose to political prominence again in 2000- this time for challenging Pervaiz Musharraf’s martial law.

Journalist Kiyya Baloch said, “Sadly his struggle against dictators and undemocratic forces was not well documented. Still, perhaps he is among very few names in Pakistan who stood against everything that undermined democracy and civilian supremacy.”
Dr Hayee Baloch was 76.
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