June 01: Pakistan Military death squad has target killed Renowned Baloch scholar, writer and poet Professor Saba Dashtyari at Sariab Road, Quetta Balochistan.
Saba Dashtyari Baloch (1953–June 1, 2011; Urdu: صبا دشتیاری بلوچ) was a Baloch professor in Islamic studies. Born in 1953 in Lyari district of Karachi in a lower-middle class family, Mr. Dashtiyari taught Islamic studies at the University of Balochistan, Quetta and was respected as a top Balochi language writer and intellectual whose literary works appeared in leading journals and magazines. He had authored several books and laid the foundation of a premier Balochi language academy in Karachi. Saba held a Masters Degree in Philosophy and Islamic Studies and taught theology. He was fluent in many langauges including English, Persian and Arabic.
His literary contributions include more than 24 books on Balochi literature, history, poetry and translations. He also established the Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi reference library, Pakistan’s largest library on Balochi literature, in Malir area of Karachi.
The library houses more than 150,000 books in various languages on Balochi literature, culture and civilisation. Furthermore, he also compiled an index and bibliography of Balochi literature published in the past 50 years.
