Karima Baloch, a Baloch activist in exile living in Toronto,
Canada, vanished on December 20, 2020. The next day, Baloch was discovered dead
along Lake Ontario, on Toronto’s downtown harbour, under strange circumstances.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused Bharat of
involvement in the death of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The
Canadian government has removed Bharatiya diplomat Pavan Kumar Rai in response to
this event.Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot and
killed in June of this year. Nijjar was an outspoken supporter of Khalistan’s
separatist ideology, which advocates for the separation of the state of Punjab
from India.
This is not the first time a dispute has erupted over an
alleged murder on Canadian soil.
The passing of Karima Baloch
Karima Baloch, a Baloch activist who had been living in
exile in Toronto, Canada, went missing on December 20, 2020. Tragically, the
following day, her lifeless body was discovered near Lake Ontario, in the
downtown waterfront area of Toronto, under circumstances that raised
suspicions.
Baloch had set out for her usual walk on Centre Island in
Toronto, a routine she had followed many times before. However, she did not
return as anticipated. In response to her disappearance, the Toronto police
took to Twitter to seek information. It was only after this appeal that her
deceased body was located on the island.
Who was Karima Baloch?
Baloch was widely recognized as a human rights advocate and
served as the chairperson of the Baloch Students Organisation Azad. In
Pakistan, she boldly voiced her opposition to the militarization of Balochistan
and condemned the widespread issues of enforced disappearances and
extrajudicial killings affecting the Baloch community.
As the founding leader of the Baloch Students Organization
(BSO-Azad), a student political group, she tirelessly advocated for the rights
of people in a region marked by a prolonged insurgency, all the while drawing
attention to the ongoing challenge of enforced disappearances
Her dedicated work in the realm of human rights earned her a
place on the BBC’s 2016 list of the 100 most inspiring and influential women.
Activists, family suspected foul-play in Baloch’s death
Dissident Pakistani organizations based in Canada have
characterized the passing of Karima Baloch as a potential homicide and have
called for an investigation into the alleged killing of the human rights
advocate. In their joint statement, they suggested the possible involvement of
Pakistani authorities in what they view as suspicious circumstances.
This collective statement was issued by a
coalition comprised of the Baloch National Movement, Balochistan National Party-Canada,
World Sindhi Congress-Canada, Pashtun Council Canada, and PTM Committee Canada.
