MONITORING DESK

KARACHI: Newspaper editor Siddiq Baloch passed away, here on Monday night. He was laid to rest yesterday. A large number of his relatives, admirers and journalists attended his funeral. He was born in Karachi’s Chakiwara area, Lyari on February 10, 1940.

Known as ‘Mama Siddiq Baloch’ among social and journalistic circles. After obtaining Masters degree from Karachi University, he began his journalistic career from Dawn in the early 1960s and remained associated with that organisation for almost three decades.

He also remained a Public Relations Officer to Balochistan’s first civilian governor, Mir Ghous Bux Bizenjo, during the National Awami Party (NAP)-led government in the province. He was considered an ambassador of Baloch rights and was well-known for presenting the Balochistan’s case at all important fora.

Since he also remained active in the Left-leaning politics, he had to spend some time behind bars, along with veteran Baloch and Pashtun leaders including Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Khan Abdul Wali Khan and others.

In 1990, he launched the first indigenous English-language Baloch daily from Quetta ‘The Balochistan Express’; and in 2002, he launched an Urdu daily ‘Azadi’.

His conduct was guided by deep journalistic ethics. He will always be remembered for his highly professional approach to the Balochistan situation.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sindh Home Minister, many other political leaders and CPNE expressed grief over sad demise of Siddiq Baloch.

In their separate condolence statements, the Bilawal, home minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and president of the CPNE Zia Shahid, Secretary General Ijaz Ul Haq and office-bearers Shaheen Qureshi, Aamir Mehmood, Rehmat Ali Razi, Mehtab Khan, Anwer Sajidi, Tahir Farooq, Syed Haroon

Shah, Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Kazim Khan and others prayed May Almighty Allah rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.