his is the story of Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan, which has historic and cultural links with a massive part of Iran andseveral regions in Afghanistan. Baloch communities have also settled in the Punjab, in Sindh and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Theyare heirs to a rich civilisation and have a long and proud history of resistance. Little effort has gone into preserving the literature beyond oral transference of stories from generation to generation. The writing tradition started during the British reign in parts of Balochistan.

Among the hundreds of novels written in Balochi language, I have chosen to review Nizar Dost’s Maat Hor Ey Sara Ath. This short novel is about the people’s grievances, including lack of development, poor infrastructure, deprivation, food insecurity, poverty, political disenfranchisement, militancy and forced disappearances.

Dost also focuses on religious practices in the Baloch society. He holds religion sacred for evoking high morals. However, some of the religious practices and the role played by some religious leaders in the cotemporary Baloch society diverge from this theme. “No religion is superior or inferior to the other,” Dost writes in his book. He mentions equality as an essential factor in the guiding principles of Islam. Using religion for ulterior motives and adopting a holier-than-thou attitude is a distortion to him.

The harshest thing for a child to see is his mother in this much distress, unable to do anything to lessen her pain.

The novel mentions clerics who encourage people around them to bring them gifts of goats, precious materials and money. Such practices have grown less frequent in the urban belt but remain prevalent in rural areas. The practices and the expectations are so entrenched that most ‘men of religion’ do not even need to talk to people about this. Their devotees and followers continue to bring the gifts, for fear of annoying them. In fact, presenting gift to influential people has become customaryeven in the urban society and is no longer limited to faith leaders.

There are some overt references to Baloch nationalism and commitment to the land. Returning home after working for several years in the Gulf, one of the characters says, “in no place other than my home (country) can I be content.”

Maat Hor Ey Sara Ath tells the story of a helpless Baloch mother. Her husband is abroad and she finds herself alone to handle the household chores. Later, when he returns home, he goes missing without an explanation and she has to face the mental and financial burdens all over as well as the new trauma. She becomes the sole bread-earner for her family.She continues to petition the authorities to find her husband and unite him with the family. When he is found eventually, he has been through so much that he behaves like the mentally unhinged.

The hardest thing for a child to see is his mother in this distress and being unable to do anything to lessen her pain. This novel tells the story of many mothers in the province waiting for their husbands and sons to return to them.

The reviewer is a student of law at University Law College, Quetta.He tweets at @Alijanmaqsood12