The Dad Series
4 February, 2025, Allah Dad Wahid was shot dead. The gunman must have had a clear and ambitious plan to end his life. The life that had a collective purpose; the life that had dreams to contribute to his community. Dad was a scholar, a thinker and a historian with keen interest in writing, editing and publishing. Allah Dad had goals for Balochi Literature. The translations of major books into Balochi was the concern he had, through which Baloch would have related to various studies and the world. These prove that his relation was with books and the pen.
However, when the power of ink stings those who don’t want to hear the truth, they leverage the force to maintain lies. And, the truth lies in learning and education, which are yet inaccessible to the majority of Baloch. If the system binds one and spreads silence, Baloch intellectuals take the responsibility. In contrast, for decades it has been proven that intellectuals have faced various challenges to promote the languages they speak and the reality they see to build the Baloch narrative – which is overshadowed. Moreover, Baloch intellectuals, for long, have been the targets of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the ‘Kill and Dump’ policy. Allah Dad Wahid is among the intellectuals who was seen as a threat to anti-Baloch narrators. That is what enabled the gunman, backed by support, to erase what might have been a big outcome they could not tolerate.
This day speaks loudly of how Baloch intellectualism, in one way or another, has been on target. Each month holds days in which Baloch thinkers, writers and readers have been silenced. It continues to bring more and more days of mourning for the Baloch to remember. Sajid Hussain, Karima Baloch, Qandeel Saba Dashtiyari, and Abdul Rauf Baloch are the prominent examples of target killings. If Socrates had to drink hemlock to remain on the right path, think of how many Baloch intellectuals, who could have been the Socrates of Baloch consciousness, lost their lives. They questioned, and they were given the poison.
Everyone dreams, but Allah Dad Wahid had dreams for the Baloch. What makes a person alive are those dreams which never die, no matter if the dreamer is no longer among us. On this date, 4 February, Allah Dad Baloch should not be just remembered; rather, the collective dreams he had for the nation should be carried out. This makes the Baloch intellectuals live forever.
Dreams bloom, they never die
Our bodies with grief, mourning dyed
Pluck the flowers the land bore
Yet roots dwell deep inside core
Studying the life of Allah Dad Wahid, the words of Franz Fanon come to mind, “O my body, make me always a man who questions.” The questions demand answers that revolve around everything Baloch suffer, including enforced disappearances, the killing of intellectuals and suppression of Baloch stories.
Power to Dad and Baloch Intellectuals.