AS the clouds gather over Quetta, a throng of people descends upon a house on Meckongy Road. They are gathering to offer condolences on the death of Abdul Razzaq, a member of Quetta’s Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS). “Commander”, as his colleagues respectfully referred to him, led from the front whenever the BDS was called into action.

Known as brave and self-sacrificing, it was his unselfish attitude that led him to Sariab Road on the evening of Feb 13, when a bomb alarm was sounded. Routinely defusing bombs since 2006 after the rapid deterioration of law and order in Balochistan, Razzaq’s last call to duty came on Monday evening.

Working with the special branch of police for over two decades, Razzaq had offers to join the army and the Frontier Corps, complete with handsome salaries and other privileges. Declining the riches on offer, he chose to serve the people of his hometown, despite earning a low salary of Rs40,000 a month.

“He would go to every corner of the province, and particularly in the city, to defuse bombs,” recalls Mohammad Tariq, Razzaq’s grieving brother. He adds: “[It] had become his passion.”

Tariq further reveals that Razzaq would be the first on the scene, often cajoling his BDS colleagues into letting him do the defusing work.

Born in Quetta in 1974, Razzaq joined the police force’s special branch at the age of 21. Throughout his career officials spoke highly of him, praising his honesty and heroism. Members of the squad share stories of when Razzaq would spend money from his own earnings to attend court hearings in Quetta, highlighting his professionalism.

On the fateful day that Razzaq was killed, the BDS also lost Abdul Majeed, who happened to be Razzaq’s apprentice. An eager learner himself, Majeed would follow his mentor into action, observing at close quarters the tense task of dismantling an explosive device.

“Compared to the lives of the people, the dangers of my work are nothing,” Tariq quotes his brother as saying whenever asked about his profession. “When I defuse bombs, I don’t consider the danger, or the risks to my life.”

“He saved thousands of lives by defusing bombs by the hundreds,” says Ahsan Mehboob, Inspector General of the Balochistan police. “We lost an expert.”

While some may deem it careless, Razzaq often defused bombs without wearing the protective bomb-disposal kit. The suit weighs almost 80kg, and officials like Razzaq deem it an impediment when it comes to mobility and speed, given the time-sensitive nature of the process. Officials claim that Razzaq, without a safety kit, defused over 1,000 bombs in various parts of the province, “because he had confidence in himself”.

“He would not even wear the police uniform,” says Safia Bibi about her son, saying he preferred plain clothes. When taunted about his dress sense, he would often quip back to his mother, “Why do you wear old clothes?”

Clutching his picture, and with tears streaming down her cheeks, Safia Bibi says that of all her children it was Razzaq who took the most care of her. “He was my lovely son; I am proud he sacrificed himself and dedicated his life to the people,” she reiterates. “He would tell me that he would not marry until or unless he could buy a new house,” she recalls.

Seeing his mother grow weary and unable to hold back her tears, Tariq relates a story about his brother’s desire to have their nephew, Farhan, cured of brain tumour. With Quetta lacking the required facilities and treatment in Islamabad considered expensive, Tariq admits, “He would fall into a rage and say that he would sell his medals for Farhan’s treatment.”

Even though Razzaq’s expertise merited many accolades, the only medals he was given were the Quaid-i-Azam medallion and those from the Pakistan police. The only remuneration he would find was in the words of those who surrounded him.

Much like Razzaq’s family members and colleagues, IG Mehboob says: “Balochistan and the police department have been deprived of a brave man. We have been robbed of a precious asset.”

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2017