Since the day our land has gone into the hands of barbaric occupiers, Baloch nation has lost many great sons but there have been few deaths that made almost every one of us cry like a child. One of such tragic losses was when Ustad Saba Dashtyari Baloch was murdered.
The legendary teacher of Baloch nation was brutally killed exactly a Year ago by the Pakistani Army.
Who was this legendary teacher that was considered a guru by many Baloch youth?
Ustad Saba’s ancestors basically belonged to Lasbela, eastern Balochistan but they subsequently migrated to Dashtiyar in Western Balochistan and finally settled in the historical Baloch city of Mai Kolachi or Karachi. It was the year of 1953; the lower middle class family of Mohammad Usman and the area of Maripur where Ghulam Hussain opened his eyes, he was to turn into the respected Ustad Saba for the Baloch nation in coming years.
In his early days of life, Ustad Saba was raised in the company of famous Baloch writer, novelist and Poetess, Banal Dashtiyari and the famous Baloch intellectual Syed Hashmi. Saba attained his earlier education from Lyari and did his matriculation from Okahi Memon School. He did his intermediate from SM commerce college Karachi in 1973. He graduated in 1976. Later Mr. Dashtyari obtained Master’s degree in Islamic studies and Philosophy.
He started with his PhD in 1979 but got a job as lecturer in Balochistan University and preferred to help his nation through teaching profession instead of continuing his further studies. From 1979 till his brutal murder in 2011 he remained a professor of theology in Balochistan University. He was fluent in many languages including English, Persian and Arabic.
He started his literary work by writing poetry in Urdu and subsequently began writing in Balochi. He wrote his first poem on the death of famous Baloch singer Ustad Jharok.
In 1984, Inspired and encouraged by famous Baloch writer Abdullah Jan Jamaldini, Ustad Saba completely abandoned writing in Urdu language and solely adopted Balochi language for his literary works. He started writing poetry and short fiction stories for Radio Balochistan.
Ustad Saba himself was very much inspired by the personalities of Syed Hashmi and Abdullah Jan Jamaldini. He considered them his teachers and gurus.
In 1983 Ustad became a member of Syed Academy, a Balochi literary academy and became its Vice President in 1988. He also became the deputy editor of monthly magazine Balochi in 1988 and founded a literary organization Chaidag in the same year. In 1994 his fiction work Hon o Hosham was published. He was author of at least 24 books.
He devoted his whole life for the promotion of Balochi language and culture because he believed that until and unless Baloch don’t realize the importance of their culture they could never surface as an independent and civilized nation in real terms.
Though Ustad taught theology but he was a liberal and open-minded person who was not reluctant to discuss any topic that others considered taboo.
One of his greatest achievements was laying down the foundations of a premier Balochi language academy, Syed Hashmi Library, in 1996 in Karachi. Syed Hashmi Library started fully functioning in 2002. It’s not just a library but a treasure for the Baloch nation. It has hundreds and thousands of books on Balochi literature. It is the only place in the world where more than 95% of all the published magazines or pamphlets of Balochi language are found. During the last days of his life he was planning to form a Balochi encyclopaedia committee and a research academy by the name of Balochelogy institute of Research. Professor Saba spent most of his Salary on promotion of Balochi language and improvement of the library. He also used to pay the education fees of many Baloch students who couldn’t afford.
His talent and intellect was not only limited to literary works but he was also a great activist and big supporter of Independent Balochistan movement. After the murder of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in 2006, Ustad Saba practically started participating in protests and activism for the legitimate rights of his people. He witnessed the extra-judicial killings of his own students but he never trembled on his stance. He revolted against the tyranny and started leading marches and protests against Pakistani occupation of Balochistan. Not confined to this, he also made with his teachings a whole platoon of Baloch students who are armed with ideologies that stand firm as mountains and who would never retreat or surrender. He preached liberalism to Baloch youth for many decades.
Due to Ustad Saba’s enormous achievements and help for the Baloch movement he was rightly titled Qandeel-e-Baloch by Baloch national defence forces.
The tyrant enemy of Baloch nation could never tolerate a Baloch who was a walking institution, University and an encyclopaedia in himself. The enemy knew that this person was enriching the minds of Baloch youth with ideologies that will be driving force for the struggle against slavery for years. A struggle that can never be defeated with brutalities. Out of this fear the brutal enemy killed our beloved Saba.
Ustad we miss you. We miss that humble person in his own classical attire who was not less than an angel. Ustad we miss the way you smiled whenever you saw your students. We miss that warm welcome Ustad. We miss the way you kissed your students whenever you met them irrespective of whether you personally knew them or not. Ustad we miss those chats we used to have in the cafeteria of Balochistan University where you used to treat everyone of us as your friends. We miss those discussions where we used to discuss everything. Dear Ustad Saba we miss those difficult Balochi words that you used, and we also miss those long definitions that would tell us when we used to ask the meanings of those difficult words. Ustad you were not an individual but an institution.
Ustad we miss your teachings But Ustad let us also tell you a good news that your students are fighting the tyranny with full zeal and power. The uncountable brutalities, enforced disappearances and murders could not tremble the cognizant students that you had equipped during your lifetime.
Ustad they have killed many of those who used to sit with you in the cafeteria but they couldn’t break them. The thousands that you had equipped with ideologies are still fighting the enemies and due to your earnest teachings they are increasing in numbers with each day. Dear Ustad our enemy has lost it at many fronts and it is not far when your students will bring the enemy to the justice and probe them for the brutalities including your heartbreaking murder. Ustad you were unique and irreplaceable but your teachings are always there with us and with strength of these teachings we will defeat all the intruders and occupiers.
وتی شہیدانی ھوناں کہ پارسنگ مکنت
بلوچ چون بکنت دژمن ءَ گوں جنگ مکنت
مئے وش نیتک کہ ایر رتکگ اَنت چو کنزیرءَ
مئے زہگ پرچا وتا گریشگ ءِ پُلنگ مکنت
