Life and legacy of Mubarik Qazi

Life and legacy of Mubarik Qazi
Biography

Mubarak Qazi is a distinctive and influential figure in Baloch society and modern Balochi literature. He is not considered merely a poet; he became the voice of Baloch people with verses, writing on his nation’s experiences, griefs, resistance and hope. His poetry rose from the realities of ordinary lives and transformed into an intellectual expression.
Mubarak Qazi was born on 24 december 1956 at Kahuda Amanullah’s house in Pasni, a city of art and knowledge. His early education started from his hometown and he completed his matriculation from his local high school. Mubarik pursued further education at Sindh Muslim College, Karachi. However, the difficult conditions and domestic situations compelled the young Mubarik to abandon his education and travel back to Pasni for his family affairs. For a period, he worked in the fisheries department for a living but his curiosities led him to Karachi and conduct the private examinations of the intermediate classes.
After passing the intermediate examinations, Mubarik enrolled in Urdu Arts College in Karachi. It was the early student years that his passion for literature and politics were developed deeply.
Literature became his means of expressing and understanding Baloch society and its realities, while politics connected him with the broader struggle of identity, dignity, unity and the future of his people.

Qazi’s political committent met repressions and during the period of martial law, Mubarik was imprisoned in Mach jail for a year because of resilient ideas. His imprisonment in the jail could confine his resiliency and became another chapter of struggle in his life. Repression, struggle and social injustice would be the core reasons for his literary contributions and expression.

In 1984, Mubarak Qazi completed his B.A and enrolled in the Department of International Relations in Balochistan University, Quetta. Alongside his academic activities, He was deeply engaged with the student politics and was committed to the literature and continued to work for Balochi language, literature and national consciousness. There he joined in student politics and became active member of Baloch Students Organisation.

Mubarak Qazi completed his M.A in 1986 from Balochistan University and returned to his hometown, Pasni. His return to his native town marked his prolonged and intellectual journey, becoming an important stage in his contribution to Baloch people and literature.

Alongside his fellow writers Muneer Momin and Akram Khan, Qazi established a literary forum known ad Balochi Labzaanki Shingkaari Majlis, initiating literary discussions, publications and promotion of Balochi language. Through such ideas, Qazi contributed not only as a poet but also as an organiser and leader in the literary movement.

The strength of Mubarak Qazi’s poetry lies in its connection with the lives of the Baloch people. His poetry portrayed the conditions of Baloch land through the people who constituted its everyday life whether they are students, farmers, sailors, mothers and children.

His verses gave an identity and expression to the pain of a mother waiting for her child, the passion of students seeking consciousness, and the struggles faced by the Baloch nation. At the same time, his poetries carried the language of resistance, encouraging the Baloch nation to unite against injustice, develop national consciousness, and struggle for the rights.

For Qazi, poetry was not merely an artistic exercise, he channelised his verses with the means for education and resistance. His pen became the tool for questioning oppression, expressed collective grief, preserved cultural identity and convey the ambitions of his people. The connection of his literary ideas and political consciousness gave birth to a figure of resistance, courage and intellect.

Qazi’s contribution cannot be confined merely to his literary writings. His intellectual and national commitment was also visible in his social life. He was a committed member of Baloch student organisation during his youth, He extended his support to the people around him and openly criticised actions that he believed were damaging to the Baloch nation.

He also played an important role as a mentor and source of inspiration for the younger generations interested in Balochi language and literature. His connectivity with the youth reflected his belief that the survival and the development of the Balochi language rested upon the shoulders of the future generations. Qazi represented a holistic character of intellect, being a poet, political thinker, mentor and public voice whose crossed the boundaries of literature and society.

Qazi’s poetry and political beliefs led him to the authorities’ cages in Turbat in 2007 because of his resilient verses, yet imprisonment did not become a reason to abandon his political and literary beliefs. Imprisonment and repression upon Mubarak Qazi constructed his political resilience rather than silence. His invulnerable nature narrated that imprisonment and oppression cannot silence the words of resistance.

Throughout his life journey, Qazi produced a series of literary books that would reshape the Baloch society with his verses. Among his influencing works are:

⁃	Zirnawisht
⁃	Chaula Darya Yal Daatag
⁃	Shaag Ma Sabze Saawad
⁃	Mani Ahd ay Gam ay Kissa
⁃	Hani Mani Maathein Watan
⁃	Morg Pa Kodohaa Raptag Ant
⁃	Jangal Chencho Zeeba Int
⁃	Aap Samaaka Jatag
⁃	Shakkalein Jaurani Barward
⁃	Gis a Watar Kanag Loota

These literary contribution reflects the depth of his concerns, from personal and social expressions to questions of identity, homeland, struggle and consciousness.

Baloch nation had a major loss when Qazi met his demise on 16 september 2023 at the age of 68 in Turbat. Mubarik Qazi’s ideas, literary achievements, political resilience and commitment to his nation continues to inspire the Baloch society. Mubarik Qazi did not merely write about the Baloch nation, He gave its struggle, its griefs, its hope and its resistance a literary voice. His verses of intellect and ideas pave the way for future generations with knowledge, wisdom and resistance.

Baloch Students Action Committee