اختر بلوچ
ذوالفقار واھوچو
افسوس اختر بلوچ به
اسان وچ ۾ نه رهيو، بهترين ليکڪ، انساني حقن جو ترجمان، استاد ۽ صحافي هيو، روزانو
ساڻنس ڪراچي پريس ڪلب جي ڪارڊ روم ۾ ڪچهريون ٿينديون هيون، اڄ هو پنهنجي خالق
حقيقي ڏانهن بنا موڪلاني هليو ويو، انسان جي حياتي ڪيتري بي وفا آهي، جيڪا ٻيهر ملڻ
جو موقعو ئي نٿي ڏي، سدائين کل ڀوڳ ڪندڙ، چرچائي پر همٿائيندڙ انسان هو، الله پاڪ
جنت الفردوس عطا ڪري.
اسان سڀن دوستن کي
عرض ڪندا آهيون ته ٻيلي ايترو نه پيئو، پاڪستاني شيون ملاوٽ جو شڪار آهن، زندگي وڌيڪ
اهم آهي پر اسان جا دوست ان شوق کان مڙن ئي نٿا، ٻيو ليکڪن جو ته اهو سڀ کان وڏو
ذوق آهي،
اختر بلوچ ڪراچي جي
قديم عمارتن قبرستانن ۽ ماڳن تي بهترين تحقيقي ليک لکيا، هميشه اسان کي پڙهڻ تي همٿائيندو
هو، ڪتاب به مهيا ڪندو هو، سندس وڇوڙي تي دلي صدمو پهتو آهي.
(ذوالفقار
واھوچو جي فيسبڪ ٽائيم وال تان ۳۱ جولاءِ ۲۰۲۲ع تي رکيل/ کنيل)
اختر بلوچ
استاد خالد
منھنجو دلبر دوست، صحافي،
تاريخدان ۽ انساني حقن جو پرچارڪ اختر بلوچ لاڏاڻو ڪري ويو.
انا لله و انا اليہ
راجعون
اختر بلوچ سان کوڙ
حجتون ھيون ساڻس ڪيترو وقت سفر ۾ به گذريو.
جڏھن به لاڙڪاڻي ۾
ايندو ھيو ته ملاقات ۽ ڪچھري ٿيندي ھئي مان ڪراچي ويندو ھيس ته پريس ڪلب تي انتظار
۾ ھوندو ھيو.
شال رحمتن جي ڀاڪر
۾ ھجي ..
(استاد خالد جي
فيسبڪ ٽائيم وال تان ۳۱ جولاءِ ۲۰۲۲ع تي رکيل/ کنيل)
اختر بلوچ به نه رھيو.
محمد قاسم راڄپر
ڊان ڊاٽ ڪام تي
نرالي انداز ۾ بلاگ لکي ڏيھا ڏيھي شھرت ماڻيندڙ اختر بلوچ لاڏاڻو ڪري ويو.
سندس اوچتي لاڏاڻي
جي خبر ٻُڌي بيحد افسوس ٿيو. اختر بلوچ جي اصل سڃاڻپ صحافت کانسواءِ انساني حقن
لاء پتوڙيندڙ ڪارڪن طور ھئي. ان لاء ھن سختيون به برداشت ڪيون. ھو تمام وڏو پڙھاڪو
ھو. سنڌ جي تاريخ بابت ھن جو مطالعو وسيع ھو.
ھن سنڌ ۽ ان جي دل ڪراچي تي منفرد انداز ۾ لکيو
آھي. ھو اڪثر ڪراچي پريس ڪلب جي ڪارڊ روم ۾ لکندي، پڙھندي يا آچر ڏينھن فريئر ھال
جي بوڪ بازار ۽ ريگل چوڪ واري بوڪ بازار ۾ ملندو ھو. ھن ڪراچي جي تاريخ بابت جيڪي
بلاگ ۽ مضمون لکيا اھي ڪتابي صورت ۾ کرانچی والا نالي سان ڪتابي
صورت ۾ شايع به ٿيا.
ھن اردو ادب ۾ ايم
فل ڪئي ۽ مختلف يونيورسٽين ۾ وزيٽنگ پروفيسر جي حيثيت ۾ پڙھائيندو به ھو.
مون پنھنجي ويجھن
دوستن ۾ ھن جيترا گھڻ پڙھاڪو گھٽ ئي ڏٺا. ھو قلمي پورهيو ڪري ٻچا پاليندڙ مان ھڪ
ھو.
(محمد قاسم
راڄپر جي فيسبڪ ٽائيم وال تان ۳۱ جولاءِ ۲۰۲۲ع تي رکيل/ کنيل)
اختر بلوچ
ھمسفر گاڏھي
اختر بلوچ جو سنڌي ٻوليءَ
۾ ڪتاب شايع ڪرائڻ وارو خواب اڌورو رهجي ويو...... جيتوڻيڪ اختر بلوچ وڏي پائي جو
محقق ۽ ليکڪ ھو پر ھن فقيري انداز سان زندگي گذاري.ھو ڊان ڊاٽ ڪام ۾ پنھنجا تحقيقي
بلاگ لکندو هو جيڪي گھڻي ڀاڱي سنڌ جي راڄڌاني ڪراچي جي تاريخي عمارتن ۽ تاريخ بابت
ھوندا ھئا، جيڪي وري سندس اجازت ۽ خواھش تي سنڌي ۾ ترجمو ڪري پندرهن وار ”افيئر“ ۾
لڳاتار شايع ٿيندا رهيا. اھي سمورا بلاگ جيڪي اردو ۾ شايع ٿيل ڪتاب ”ڪرانچي والا“
جي مختلف حصن ۾ شايع ٿيل آهن. اھي مون وٽ سنڌي ۾ محفوظ آھن. ٽي چار سال اڳ اختر
بلوچ ھڪ ڪچھريءَ ۾ اھا خواھش ظاهر ڪئي ته اردوءَ ۾ ته ڪتاب ضرور شايع ٿيندو پر سنڌي
ٻوليءَ ۾ به شايع ڪرائڻ جي خواهش آهي. مون کي سمورو مواد سافٽ ۾ ڏيو ،مون کيس يو
ايس بي ۾ سمورو مواد ٽرانسفر ڪرائي ڏنو.ان کان پوءِ جڏھن مليو تڏهن ٻڌايائين ته
ثقافت کاتي سنڌ جي اختيارين سان ڳالھ ٻولھ ٿي آھي، چون ٿا ته سنڌي ٻوليءَ ۾اسان
شايع ڪنداسين پر پوءِ جڏهن به مليو ان حوالي سان مايوسيءَ جو اظهار ڪيائين. اردو
جو ڪتاب شايع ٿي ويو ليڪن سنڌي وارو خواب ساڀيان نٿي سگهيو.سمورو مواد ان به محفوظ
آھي ثقافت کاتي سميت ڪو به پبلشر شايع ڪرڻ چاھي ته ان کي ڏئي سگھجي ٿو. اڄ اختر مڻين
مٽيءَ ھيٺان مدفون ٿي ويندو. خواھش آھي ته سندس اڌورو خواب تڪميل ماڻي. ڏسجي ته اھڙي
ھمت ۽ مثبت اڳڀرائي ڪير ٿو ڪري؟
(ھمسفر گاڏھي جي
فيسبڪ ٽائيم وال تان ۳۱ جولاءِ ۲۰۲۲ع تي رکيل/ کنيل)
اختر بلوچ ھميشه ياد
رھندو
پروفيسر مظھر علي
ڏوتيو
اختر بلوچ سان ۲۰۱۶ کان دوستي آھي. ڇا ته ماڻھو ھو. بھترين
دوست، صلاحڪار، ليکڪ، صحافي ۽ بھترين استاد. جنھن به موضوع تي ڳالھائيندو ھو
تفصيلي ۽ چٽو ڳالھائيندو ھو. آخري ڏينھن ۾ اسان جي ڊپارٽمينت جي لائبرري ۾ پنھنجا
سمورا ڪتاب کڻي رکيائين ايتري تائين جو ريڪ به کڻي آيو. ڪڏھن نه چيائين ته لائبرري
۾ منھنجي نالي سان ڪارنر ٺاھيو. روزانو پھريان منھنجي آفيس ايندو ھو ۽ پوءِ وڃي
لائبرري ۾ ويھندو ھو.
کل مک دوست اسان
کان ھميشه لاءِ جدا ٿي ويو. اختر سائين توھان ھر لمحي ياد ايندئو. سچ ۾ اختر جيءُ
کي جھوڙي ويو. يقين نٿو اچي تي اختر بلوچ اسان کان جدا ٿي ويو آھي.
(پروفيسر مظھر علي ڏوتيو
جي فيسبڪ ٽائيم وال تان ۱ آگسٽ ۲۰۲۲ع تي کنيل)
اختر بلوچ
هڪ بي چين روح
دودو چانڊيو
هي ان زماني جي ڳالهه
آهي جڏهن حيدرآباد پريس ڪلب سنڌ جو سياسي هائيڊ پارڪ هو، اڃان ڪراچي پريس ڪلب آڏو
احتجاجي مظاهرن جو رواج نه پيو هو، نه وري ملڪي راڄ ڌاني اسلام آباد ۾ ڪو پريس ڪلب
جو رواج پيو هو، حيدرآباد پريس ڪلب آڏو صبح کان شام تائين احتجاجي مظاهرن جي اڻ کٽ
سلسلو هلندو هو، هڪ ڏينهن پريس ڪلب آڏو بي بي سي جي رپورٽر علي حسن هڪ نوجوان سان
تعارف ڪرائيندي چيو؛ “يه ميرپورخاص ڪي مڪراني هين،اختر بلوچ ڪي نام سي جانا جاتا
هين هيومن رائيٽس ايڪٽيوسٽ هين ،اب شڪيل صاحب ڪي فرمائش په يهان صحافت ڪريگا” بس
اهو اختر بلوچ سان پهريون تعارف هو، هن ڪائنات اخبار جوائن ڪئي، اسان گڏجي صحافت ڪئي،
ڏسندي ئي ڏسندي هو حيدر آباد جو هر دل عزيز صحافي بڻجي ويو، انتهائي زنده دل ۽ خوش
مزاج اختر بلوچ هڪ ڏينهن حيدر پريس ڪلب جي فنڪشن ۾ ڪمپيئرنگ ڪري رهيو هو، حيدر
آباد جو ايس ايس پي معظم جان هو شايد، ان وڏي فخر سان چيو؛ “صحافين جا ڪي مئسلا
هجن ته ٻڌايو!” جنهن تي اختر بلوچ چيو ته؛ “اسان صحافين جو هڪ مسئلو آهي، هي جيڪي
روڊ تي بجلي جا ٿنڀا لڳل آهن، اهي رات جي وقت اسان صحافين جي آڏو وچ روڊ تي اچيو وڃن،
اسان صحافي ٽڪرايو وڃون، پوليس وارن کي پارت ڪر ته رات جو ٿاڻي بدران گهر پهچائي
اچن” هال ۾ ٽهڪڙو مچي ويو، اختر بلوچ جي روح کي ميرپور خاص بعد حيدر آباد ۾ به چين
نه آيو، هڪ ڏينهن حيدر آباد کي ڇڏي ڪراچي جا اچي وڻ وسايائين. سال ۲۰۰۵ع ۾ آئون به ڪراچي آيس، هڪ ڏينهن پريس ڪلب ڪراچي
جي لان تي مون کي چيائين؛ “انگريزي سکڻ لاءِ داخلا وٺ،” مون چيو؛ “هن عمر ۾..!!” منهنجي
ڳالھه تي کلندي چيائين؛ “پڙهڻ جي ڪا عمر ناهي،” مون انگريزي سکڻ لاءِ پي اي سي سي
۾ داخلا ورتي، آئون پڙهڻ لا ڪلاس ۾ ويس ته ٻار ٽيچر سمجهي اٿي بيهي رهيا، آئون سڌو
وڃي ڪلاس جي بئنچ تي ويٺس ته ٻارن وڏا وڏا ٽهڪ ڏنا، مون ان جي پرواهه ڪرڻ بدران پڙهڻ
تي ڌيان ڏنو.
اختر بلوچ ٿوري
عرصي اندر ڪراچي جو بهترين صحافي ٿي اڳيان آيو، هن ڪراچي جي عمارتن تي، تاريخ تي،
جيڪا تحقيق ڪئي، ڊان ڊاٽ ڪام ۾ هن جيڪو لکيو، ان کي ڪتاب جي شڪل ڏني، آئون سمجهان ٿو
ته اهو تمام وڏو ڪم آهي هن ڪراچي جي شهرين کي انگريزي ۽ اردو ۾ سمجهايو ته مولوي
مسافر خانو آهي يا اهو مولچند مسافر خانو آهي. هن ڪراچي جي کوڙ عمارتن ۽ واقعن تي
هڪ سچي تحقيقي مورخ بڻجي لکيو، تاريخ جي نئين سر تاريخ لکي. اختر بلوچ لياري گينگ
وار تي تمام بهترين لکيو، شيرو دادا سميت کوڙ پروفائل لکيائين، هن ڪراچي جي اڏيندڙن
پارسين تي، يهودين تي لکيو، نيپئر روڊ تي لکيو، مطلب سڄي ڪراچي تي لکيو، ڪراچي جي
نئين سڃاڻپ ڪرائي. ڪراچي پريس ڪلب ۾ هو هميشه لکندي يا پڙهندي نظر آيو. هر آچر تي
اختر بلوچ ريگل چوڪ يا فيريئر هال ۾ ڪتابن جي بازارن ۾ نظر ايندو هو. هميشه نوان
نوان ڪتاب پڙهڻ جون صلاحون ڏيندو هو، اڄ صبح جيئن ئي اک کلي ته هن جي لاڏاڻي جو
اطلاع مليو، اکيون ڀرجي آيون، دل چيو وڏي دانهن ڪري چوان، اختر وڃڻ ۾ ايڏي جلدي به
ڪبي آهي ڇا؟
(ڏھاڙي
پنھنجي اخبار ڪراچيءَ ۾ ۱ آگسٽ ۲۰۲۲ع تي ڇپيل)
Akhtar Hussain Baluch
Gul Muhammad Umrani
Obituary for Akhtar Hussain Baluch who died yesterday:
old friend from Mirpur khas since 1997, well-read journalist, research scholar,
human rights activist, multi linguistic literary enthusiast, translated many
short stories from Sindhi to Urdu, shifted to Hyderabad in 1998 and then became
Provincial Co-Ordinator for Pakistan Commission for Human Rights. In March 2003
became a missing person but then was released from the incarceration by the
persons whom he didn't disclose who they were. His research work on the Khawaja
Sara's or transgender persons was published in March 2010 by the City Press Karachi,
later published by Fiction House Lahore in 2015. From 2013 he started writing
blogs on Karachi's monumental old buildings, roads and personalities in dawn.com.
His reports on Karo Kari, Jirga system, Scheduled Castes and other social
issues have been written intensely for HRCP and are worth introspection for
readers and human rights activist with dedicated committed agenda for change.
His MPhil thesis entitled “Urdu Adab mey Insan Dosti”
is comprehensive survey of literature and criticism from17th to 19th Century AD
in India.
He will be missed by friends for his great personal
charm, wit, and humor in difficult times of life he witnessed. He was closer to
late Shakil Pathan and Ali Hasan of BBC Urdu service and learnt from these
mentors in HRCP. Baloch was visiting faculty of Federal Urdu University and was
very popular sought after radical intellectual and teacher amongst students.
(Gul Muhammad Umranis’ Facebook Timeline 31st July 2022)
Akhtar Baloch
IN MEMORIAM: RECORDER
OF THE FORGOTTEN PAST
Akhtar Baloch, also
known as ‘Karaanchi Wala’, had his own mode of resistance.
Dr Naazir Mahmood
He resisted cultural decay by frequently detailing the
erosion of our heritage in his blogs for Dawn, which attracted readership both
nationally and internationally. He also resisted human rights violations in
Pakistan — especially in Sindh — through his work for the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
He fought for the rights of marginalized citizens,
ranging from small ethnic and religious groups to the transgender communities
and people of diverse sexual orientations. An activist with an academic touch,
he had a keen eye for old books, buildings and manuscripts. He frequented old
book stalls as a compulsory ritual and rummaged through literature, collecting
nuggets of humanism from poetry and prose. His death on July 31 — at the age of
55 — has left us poorer in an already depleted intellectual legacy for he was a
fine journalist and a caring friend.
This is not an obituary, rather an attempt to give my
readers a glimpse of what Akhtar Baloch stood for. Born in Mirpurkhas in 1967,
he spent the first 30 years of his life there. During his college years, he
participated in various literary and political activities. This was under the
dark time of the Gen Zia regime.
Akhtar Baloch was an eyewitness to the Movement for
Restoration of Democracy (MRD). Even as a teenager he could feel the pain and
oppression of the brutal crackdown that General Zia and his cronies meted out
to all who dared to dissent. Akhtar Baloch’s literary pursuits started when he
read extensively in Sindhi and then translated some selected Sindhi writings
into Urdu. His love for languages honed his skills as a renowned translator and
by the age of 30, he was already making waves as a journalist and a translator
of repute.
Next, he headed to Hyderabad where he emerged as a
fearless defender of human rights. The HRCP benefitted from his efforts as he
became its provincial coordinator. His name did not go unnoticed by the
oppressors as the country was now reeling under another military dictatorship
led by Gen Pervez Musharraf. On Pakistan Day 2003, Akhtar Baloch was abducted
by “unknown persons” who threatened him and tortured him for days before
releasing him.
The last 20 years of his life were spent in Karachi
where he established a large following among his friends, fellow journalists,
readers and students. His ever-smiling face endeared him to many as he became a
source of knowledge for them on commonly ignored issues. He also became a
reputable researcher after extensively working with the transgender community
in Sindh. In 2010, City Press in Karachi published his book tilted Teesri Jins
(The Third Sex). Ilm-o-Adab published its third edition in 2020.
The Third Sex
Teesri Jins, a marvelous work of both primary and
secondary research, outlines the travails of transgender persons in Sindh, and
deciphers their esoteric language called ‘Farsi Chand’. The transgender
community has their own language that other people struggle to understand.
Akhtar Baloch spent considerable time with transgenders to document the
intricacies of their language — an assorted mix of diverse expressions from
different tongues. Some prominent transgender persons’ such as Bindya Rana,
Guru Keta, Shahana alias ‘Shaani’ and Yasmeen Faqeer’ trusted Akhtar Baloch and
shared with him what they had not disclosed to anyone else.
He visited many cities in Sindh where the transgender
community had a dera (settlement). Within Hyderabad’s city centre, transgender
people have their base in Khadra Gali which Akhtar Baloch frequented. The best
feature of Teesri Jins was its focus on the community’s historical background.
Through detailed interviews with activists and leaders of the transgender
community, Akhtar Baloch gathered invaluable information that hitherto was not
available anywhere. Based on nearly two dozen in-depth interviews, the book
unfolds a terrifying saga of exploitation and marginalization the community.
The book became an instant hit; it is still a unique
source of academic information. Full of authentic accounts and references that
give credence to his narrative, Akhtar Baloch gave voice to a community which
is a target of coercion and repression.
Humanism in Urdu Literature
Urdu Adab Mein Insaan Dosti (Humanism in Urdu
Literature) became another bestseller by Akhtar Baloch. In this purely academic
work, he analyses the humanistic tradition in Urdu literature from the 17th to
the 19th century. It is a treasure trove of nuggets from Urdu literature that
enlightens readers about its humanistic credentials. In it, Akhtar Baloch
defines the concept of humanism and how it is related to literature. The very
essence of creative writing appears to be an endeavor of a humanist approach to
life, which states that when hatred and love vie for space, love triumphs.
He began his research by going through the writings
from the early period of Urdu literature that emerged in the Deccan, the
southern part of the Subcontinent, and tracing the elements of humanism in the
Deccan milieu where Urdu was taking shape. Then he moves on to the 18th century
in which the subject matter of literature and poetry developed a tinge of
political disintegration as reflected in the poetry of that period.
Akhtar Baloch discusses the reservations held by Mir
Jafar Zatalli and his contemporary poets towards a rapidly transforming
society. Chaos and mayhem across India influenced the literature of that time,
and authors and poets could not remain aloof to the social and political
realities. From poets such as Mir and Sauda to an emerging Urdu prose towards
the end of the 18th century, Akhtar offers us vignettes of Urdu literary gems
in this book.
His interest was not confined to any one genre of
literature; he branched into multiple modes of expressions circulating from the
17th to 19th centuries. He proves that all genres in Urdu literature shared a
recurring theme of humanism. By studying the merits and demerits of prominent
writers, Akhtar Baloch unveiled the literary trends emerging out of the first
century of colonial rule. For instance, Mirza Ghalib, his favourite poet,
illustrates his humanism and continues to dominate Urdu poetry to date.
Urdu Adab Mein Insaan Dosti concludes with a
discussion on the society that was emerging in the aftermath of the 1857 War of
Independence. Akhtar Baloch charts the changing patterns of norms and values in
Urdu literature during the second half of the 19th century, especially in light
of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s Aligarh Movement.
THE KARAANCHI WALA
In 2013, Akhtar Baloch started writing the ‘Karaanchi
Wala’ blogs about old buildings, personalities, and the streets of Karachi. His
writings appeared on the internet simultaneously in English, Sindhi, and Urdu,
causing many newspapers such as Intikhab and Azaadi in Balochistan, and Mashriq
from Lahore and Peshawar to carry his pieces. His quest for historical accuracy
was unmatched as he searched for references from the most unlikely people and
places. His unique style made him a credible source even within the highbrow
academic community.
He wrote about karo-kari (honour killings), the Jirga
system and issues that the scheduled castes and other marginalized people faced
in Sindh. He also taught as a part-time teacher at the Federal Urdu University.
Through his popular blogs, his identity as ‘Karaanchi Wala’ received wider
acceptance.
These blogs touched upon subjects of history that many
people considered taboo or not worth discussing. For example, in 2016, when his
first collection of blogs appeared in book form, the episode about the marriage
proposal between Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Ruttie sparked the interest of
readers. To corroborate this anecdote, our researcher frantically looked for a
book by Sharifuddin Pirzada and referenced it properly. His telling of this
episode is to the point and lacking sensation.
Scrutiny of facts was his forte and, at times, he
spent weeks — even months — searching for material to verify the sources that
he used for his blogs. As he was passionate in his quests and dispassionate in
his analysis, his writings were impartial and unbiased. At the end of his
blogs, he invited his readers to enlighten him with additional information,
which portrayed him as being an intellectually flexible person. He often
accredited Dr Mubarak Ali, Hussain Naqi, I.A. Rehman, Saba Dashtyari and
Tuaseef Ahmed Khan, all of whom he considered his guides and mentors.
In following their footsteps, Akhtar Baloch deviated
from the usual track of history that many textbooks in Pakistan promote. His
detours facilitated a unconventional approach to history and led him to
discover some lost pages from our recent past. His primary interest was
highlighting those buildings and people that deserve our appreciation and
attention. His blogs focused on researching the cities and towns of Sindh and
its people, bridging the gap of representation between them and the mainstream.
Akhtar Baloch’s corpus resists, upends and challenges
the official narratives of history that mutilate our past by clarifying
misconceptions and debunking misrepresentations of history. He developed a body
of work that remains unparalleled. He was a true proponent of people’s history
in Sindh and paved an alternate path for fellow researchers and students which
was nonconformist.
Over the years, his first collection of 40 blogs,
‘Karaanchi Wala 1’, was developed into three editions, prompting him to compile
a second collection in 2020 comprising 30 blogs that were deeply informative.
His blog discussing the Lahore Resolution of March 1940 became popular as it
challenged the date of its passage and instead proved the correct date to be
March 24th rather than 23rd. In another blog, he highlights August 15 as
Pakistan’s actual Independence Day.
His blog on Jam Saqi and Nazir Abbasi talks about the
difficulties of carrying out left-wing and progressive political activities
under both civilian and military governments in the recent history of Pakistan.
Being a secular activist, Akhtar Baloch underscored the positive interventions
by various religious communities in Sindh. One such personality that piqued his
interest was Bhagat Kunwar Ram, a promoter of harmony and love among diverse
communities. Bhagat was a Hindu musician, singer and altruist. Akhtar Baloch
details that a fanatic follower of Pir Bharchaundi Sharif assassinated Bhagat
in 1939.
Akhtar Baloch was an investigative genie par
excellence who often became a victim of plagiarism by other so-called
journalists and anchorpersons. One notable instance is when an anchorperson plagiarized
Baloch’s complete research on the Jewish synagogue in Karachi without
acknowledging the source. Even the photos that Akhtar Baloch had taken and used
for his blog were downloaded and used without any credit or consent. However,
this was not a one-off incident as the same anchor later copied Baloch’s blog
on the funeral of Fatima Jinnah — reproduced by many newspapers as some acknowledged
Baloch’s efforts while others did not. One person even published a 36-page
booklet on Fatima Jinnah’s funeral using Baloch’s blog with no mention of the
writer. While Baloch was happy his work was being widely circulated, it was
unfortunate that he could not claim credit for his efforts. Adarsh Ayaz Leghari
and Arif Anjum translated his Urdu blogs for Dawn in English, while some other
Sindhi magazines also translated and published them.
Meanwhile, he always acknowledged even if somebody
made a minor contribution to his blog and for this he gave credit to our late
friend Musaddiq Sanwal from whom Akhtar Baloch learnt a lot.
His third book of the ‘Karaanchi Wala’ series, which
he asked me to review, appeared in 2020. Sadly, I kept postponing it for one
reason or another without realising that he might not be here when I finally
sat down to write about him. Wusatullah Khan called him Sir John Marshal of
Karachi — Marshal had discovered the ruins of Mohenjo Daro. Akhtar Baloch laid
bare the bones of old Karachi and encouraged us to appreciate its rich past.
The writer is a columnist and an educator. He can be
reached on Twitter @NaazirMahmood.
(Published in Dawn, EOS, August 28th, 2022)
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