Thousands of people from all walks of life attended the funeral of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Senator Usman Khan Kakar in Muslim Bagh, Balochistan. Pashtoon youth and tribesmen brought the coffin of Usman Kakar in a large funeral procession back to his native village to pay their respects to the deceased.

The people thronged the funeral procession from Kuchlak to Quetta, and then at Muslim Bagh. People stood on both sides of the road to pay homage to Usman Kakar. Several transport companies had arranged free transportation for those attending the funeral. It took hours to cover what under normal circumstances would be a two-hour drive from Quetta to Muslim Bagh, Qila Saifullah.

Usman Kakar had never failed to raise his voice against dictatorship. Kakar was born in 1961 in the Muslim Bagh area of Qila Saifullah in Balochistan, where he received his early education at his village. Later, he obtained an LLB and a master’s degree.

Kakar was active in politics from the time he was a student. He started his political journey with the Pashtoonkhwa Students Organisation (PSO).

After graduating, he joined the PkMAP and remained associated with the party till his last breath.

During his six-year tenure as a senator, his political essence came to the fore. He spoke out for the oppressed, the downtrodden and the marginalised. He was a member of the Senate Human Rights Committee, then headed by Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. He raised his voice against the forced dismissal of Pindi Bhattian workers and other grave human rights violations.

His associates remember that when JUI-F supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March reached Islamabad, Usman Kakar, despite being a senator, spent most of his time at the party’s camp with political activists, especially at mealtimes. He was frequently seen distributing food to party workers.

In his last address, Usman Kakar said, “we are being pressured to give up democracy and our ideology and stop talking about the rights of the people and to stop raising our voice for the supremacy of parliament.”

He was equally popular in his party and among other political workers. When his death was announced, many were left in tears. A large number of workers from other political parties gathered in front of the hospital in Karachi. Later, similar scenes were witnessed when his body arrived in Quetta.

In his last address, Usman Kakar said, “we are being pressured to give up democracy and our ideology and stop talking about the rights of the people and to stop raising our voice for the supremacy of parliament.”

Usman Kakar took the road less travelled - a long path, upholding the democratic values in the political landscape. Perhaps, he was too shy to seek limelight. However, he made the point clearly in front of any gathering and at the highest political forum whenever he spoke up.

According to PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai it was the largest funeral in the Pashtun region. A PkMAP spokesperson said, “millions of people attended Usman Kakar’s funeral.” Many reached Muslim Bagh not only from Balochistan but from across the country.

The funeral prayers were led by Senator Maulana Ata-ur-Rehman, brother of JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. A condolence message from President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan was read out. It said that the people of Afghanistan shared the burden of grief with the family of Usman Kakar.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have expressed grief and shock over the demise of Senator Usman Kakar. Zardari said that Usman Kakar was an advocate of the people of Balochistan and fully represented his people in the parliament. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif also paid tributes to the late Usman Kakar. Maryam Nawaz said, “A strong voice of democracy and a frontline soldier in the struggle for civilian supremacy has left us. My heart and prayers are with his family. Meetings and conversations with Lala Usman will always be remembered.”

The autopsy report stated that there were no signs of violence on any part of the body. However, some people continued to raise doubts about his untimely death. His son, Khushal Kakar, told international media that the family had found the body lying on a carpet in the guest room on June 17.

Kakar’s personal physician Dr Samad Panezai was reported to have said that Usman Kakar had suffered a head injury at his residence in Quetta and was taken to a hospital within thirty minutes. He was operated upon and put on a ventilator. After remaining in a coma for over 72 hours, he expired in a Karachi hospital.

Kakar’s political struggle and legacy of non-violence, firm conviction and democratic values must go on. Only time will tell how the vacuum is filled. Kakar had spread love, shunned hatred and stood for the constitution of Pakistan in letter and spirit. A prominent voice from Balochistan is no more.

The writer is a   journalist based in Lahore