QUETTA: Baloch rights activist and vice chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) Abdul Qadeer Baloch passed away on Saturday in a Quetta hospital after a prolonged illness.

The death was confirmed by the VBMP. Its chairman, Nasrullah Baloch, said the activist, popularly known as Mama Qadeer, had been ill for a long time and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Quetta for the past two months. His funeral was planned for Sunday (today).

Mr Qadeer dedicated his life to human rights advocacy after his son, Jalil Reiki, was kidnapped and killed in 2011. The tragedy galvanised his efforts, and in 2013, he gained international attention by leading a long march on foot from Quetta to Islamabad to highlight the plight of families whose relatives have been subject to enforced disappearances.

For years, he was a persistent presence at a VBMP protest camp on Quetta`s Adalat Road, a symbol of the struggle for the missing.

Tributes poured in from rights organisations and politicians. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement, `His legacy will endure in the countless families he stood beside`.

Balochistan National Party President Sardar Akhtar Mengal hailed him as a `symbol of resistance against state oppression, enforced disappearances and injustice`.

`Despite immense personal loss and relentless hardship, he never abandoned the families of the disappeared or his demand for truth and accountability,` Mr Mengal said.

Former senator Afrasiab Khattak said Mr Qadeer `epitomised` the struggle for the recovery of all missing persons and would be remembered for his `fearless and valiant struggle`.