Quetta, Feb 21 Amma Hoori, who waited years for her missing son’s return and passed away carrying that grief on February 16, represents hundreds of mothers in Balochistan bearing the consequences of Pakistani policies and collective punishment.
The pain endured by mothers like her has become part of collective political consciousness, shaping perceptions of the relationship between the Baloch population and the Pakistani state, a report said on Saturday.
“Amma Hoori’s life was marked by displacement, the experience of state coercion, and a sustained campaign against enforced disappearances. Seeking justice, she repeatedly appealed to state institutions for the recovery of her son. She endured prolonged hardship while waiting for his return and passed away still holding that hope. Her elderly voice, raised against enforced disappearances, has become part of the historical record of this struggle,” a report in 'The Balochistan' detailed.
“Among the thousands of individuals reported missing from Balochistan is Amma Hoori’s son, Gul Muhammad Marri, who was allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance in 2012. Even at the age of 80, Amma Hoori participated in sit-ins in Islamabad and protest movements in Quetta, calling for the recovery of missing persons. Many mothers across Balochistan continue similar efforts, while the state has rejected allegations regarding the practice of enforced disappearances,” it added.
According to a report in leading Pakistani daily 'Dawn', Bibi Hoori — also known affectionately as ‘Amma Hoori’, defied societal norms by seeking justice on the roads, in court, and at police stations.
“She used to come to the missing persons’ camp along with her missing son’s daughter — even on Eid,” Dawn quoted Nasrullah Baloch, chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), as saying.
The late Amma Hoori’s words, captured in a brief clip, have been circulating on social media since her demise.
“There is no news of my son, whether [he is] alive or dead. I have been on the roads for 14 years… I have grown old, and people have to hold my hand while disembarking from a vehicle. But I protest here so that I get justice,” the report quoted her as saying.
Since her son went missing in Balochistan in 2012, the report highlighted that Amma Hoori had been a familiar face at demonstrations staged by relatives of missing persons. Despite her age, she would sit from “dawn to dusk at the protest camps, pining for her son Gul Mohammad Marri and hoping for his safe recovery”.
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