Honouring a brave man

Last week, Senator Usman Kakar was laid to rest after a historic funeral at his hometown Muslim Bagh in Balochistan.

I was among the tens of thousands of people who attended his funeral prayers; it was an experience that left me awed and humbled. In my life as a political worker, I have never seen so many people come out to say goodbye to a beloved leader. Usman Kakar’s funeral was an extraordinary event and, in my opinion, was the perfect testimony of his stature and the love and respect he commanded.

Kakar died in mysterious circumstances and his family alleges that he was murdered. He was found unconscious on the floor in the drawing room of his house. After being operated on at a hospital in Quetta, he was taken to Karachi’s Aga Khan University Hospital in a special air ambulance. He breathed his last there. Medical experts insist that the injuries he sustained on his head were too severe to be the result of a mere fall.

The government of Balochistan has dismissed the claims of Kakar’s family as ‘negative news’ – even though they know that as an outspoken and critical public figure, he was facing serious threats to his life. In his last speech in the Senate, Usman Kakar too had spoken about the threats he had been receiving but his warnings about the threats to his life were ignored.

Usman Kakar’s funeral, however, was not merely about his unexplained death. It was a recognition of his stellar character and a tribute by the people of Balochistan to a genuine political worker who dedicated his life to the service of his people.

Usman Khan Kakar was born in 1961 in Hindu Bagh (now Muslim Bagh) of Killa Saifullah district in Balochistan. His father, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Kakar, was a tribal elder. Usman Kakar received his primary education at a local school in Hindu Bagh. He completed his higher secondary education in Bahawalpur and went on to study economics and law at Balochistan University.

Kakar became politically active in 1977, when he joined the Pashtun Students Organization (PSO) of the Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party (PNAP). In 1983, the Frontier Students Federation, a student wing of the Mazdoor Kissan Party (MKP), merged with PSO and a new student organization, the Pakhtunkhwa Students Organization, was formed. In 1987, at the first conference of the Pakhtunkhwa Students Organization in Peshawar, Kakar was elected its first secretary. In 1986, the NAP and MKP formed an alliance called the Pakhtunkhwa National People’s Alliance. Kakar was a member of the central council of this union.

In 1989, this alliance became the Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party and Kakar was elected senior secretary. In 2007, he became the provincial president of the party. In 2013, in addition to his role as provincial president, he was elected central secretary at the party’s fourth congress. He was still serving in these positions when he died.

In his 44 years in politics, Kakar witnessed a number of political upheavals and participated in the resistance movements of those moments. In 2015, he was elected to the Senate of Pakistan as a candidate of PkMAP. Those who worked with him recall how he was among the most proactive members of Senate committees. He brought the issues of oppressed groups and marginalized communities to these forums and at the same time, remained accessible to ordinary people during his tenure as senator.

Kakar was among the fiercest critics of the unelected interventions in politics, and one of Balochistan’s greatest advocates. Nationalist politics was at the core of his ideology. He had an unflinching commitment to his political ideals, which included the establishment of a genuine democratic and federal political system in Pakistan and the adoption of an independent and pro-people foreign policy. He was among the most vocal advocates of the rights of smaller nationalities and oppressed groups. He consistently raised his voice against war politics in the Pashtun regions, and especially the policy of ‘strategic depth’.

In addition to being a candid and articulate champion of democracy and rights of small nationalities, Usman Kakar was also a brilliant political organizer and strategist. He was of a rare disposition; though he rose to high-level positions, he remained a humble and dedicated political worker till the end. Behind his humble personality, however, there was a deep political philosophy. Building organizations and strengthening their structures were his greatest skill. He led the process of establishing his party’s units in villages and towns across Pashtun regions. He designed and led door-to-door campaigns. He preferred strict discipline within the party and strived to organize it on the lines of a revolutionary party.

It was his organizational skills that earned Usman Kakar the respect of political workers across the spectrum. At his funeral, party workers from many political parties were present to honour him and to say goodbye. The scenes witnessed at the funeral were unprecedented. Women, children and the elderly lined the streets as the procession passed; people showered petals on his coffin, prayed and mourned. It was clear to all who were present that day: Usman Kakar was deeply loved for his pro-people narrative and struggle. He spoke bravely despite living in such a controlled and suffocating environment and the people relied on him to take a principled stance in times of gross injustice.

Usman Kakar’s final political act was bringing together thousands of Baloch and Pashtun people in a moment of collective loss. In the past, differences between these communities have been exploited to keep them segregated and their political struggles fragmented. But in his death, Kakar has shown us a new direction for the nationalist struggle in the country and the possibility of a revival of Baloch-Pashtun unity in this struggle.

Those who believed that Usman Kakar’s legacy would be buried with him, could not have been more wrong. His wisdom and memories belong to us, the people, and we will continue to carry forward his cause.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly.

Twitter: @mjdawar