PARIS: Killing of Dr. Nokaap, a Healer and Teacher of Baloch Refugees, Is a War Crime, Says BNM Chairman
Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), Dr. Naseem Baloch, has described the killing of Dr. Abdul Rasheed, alias Nokaap Baloch, a long-standing party colleague and member of the BNM Central Committee, as a national tragedy. He said that armed agents of the Pakistani state and military, posing as a patient, went to the residence of the senior party leader a hardworking man, doctor and teacher who had been living in exile in Iranian-administered Balochistan and murdered him.
Dr. Nokaap’s killing, he said, is the killing of a political activist, physician and educator who devoted his entire life to the cause of Baloch national freedom, serving humanity and spreading the light of knowledge. His death is an irreparable loss for the BNM, supporters of the Baloch national movement and Baloch refugees, for whom he was a source of hope, medical care and education.
Martyr Dr. Abdul Rasheed, alias Nokaap, was born in the house of Waja Ghulam Hussain in Gandachai, Kolwah. From childhood, he was deeply committed to social service. In his youth, both politics and social service became integral parts of his life.
There were government schools in his village and nearby villages in Kolwah, but there were no teachers. He arranged a teacher for his village through self-help initiatives and personally taught children voluntarily for years in the nearby village of Kanechi. At the same time, having completed his medical education, he provided free medical treatment to people in the area. He was among the early members of the party in the Kolwah region.
After working at the unit level, he became Vice President of the Gishkaur Zone in 2010 and President in 2012. Following the formation of new zones that same year, he was elected President of the Gandachai Zone. In 2022, he was elected a member of the BNM Central Committee during the party’s Central Council session.
Dr. Nokaap was a long-standing, ideological and deeply committed colleague of the Baloch National Movement. He remained unwaveringly committed to the party programme and the objective of national freedom and continued to fulfil his organisational responsibilities with steadfastness through every difficult period.
He began his political and organisational journey at the grassroots level and, through his ability, integrity, hard work and ideological perseverance, went on to serve in various positions of responsibility. At the 2022 Central Council session, he was elected to the BNM Central Committee, a position he continued to hold while carrying out his national and organisational responsibilities until his assassination.
Dr. Naseem Baloch said that because of Dr. Nokaap’s active political involvement and public role in Kolwah, the Pakistani military repeatedly subjected him to reprisals. His house was bulldozed, his property was looted and repeated attempts were made to kill him, although he managed to survive. The destruction of his home and the insecurity prevailing in the area eventually forced him to migrate to Western Balochistan.
However, forced displacement, continuous pursuit and personal losses could neither break his resolve nor separate him from the national struggle and his commitment to serving the people.
Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch said that after reaching Western Balochistan, Dr. Nokaap chose as his centre of service not the cities but remote and deprived areas where Baloch refugees affected by war and state repression were living in extremely difficult conditions.
He provided free medical treatment to these refugees and local residents and offered whatever medical assistance he could to patients in need. Dr. Nokaap was not only a healer who treated people’s wounds but also an educator who shared knowledge. He began teaching refugee and local children free of charge, lighting two lamps of medicine and education amid the darkness of deprivation.
Despite having lost his own home, he became a source of support for the homeless and never allowed his own suffering to stand in the way of serving others.
The Baloch National Movement will always remember Dr. Nokaap’s national, organisational, medical and educational services with honour and respect. His killing is not merely an incident aimed at silencing an individual; rather, it is a continuation of a systematic policy of depriving Baloch society of its talented and dedicated political activists, physicians, educators and humanitarian figures.
The BNM calls upon international human rights organisations and responsible global powers to take serious notice of the killing of Dr. Nokaap, the pursuit of Baloch political activists across borders and the systematic actions being carried out against them.
Dr. Nokaap’s commitment, character and selfless service will always remain a guiding light for party workers, and his mission will live on in the struggle for Baloch national freedom.
