Karima Baloch
2016 screenshot of Baloch from a video message addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi[1]
Born
Karima Mehrab[2][3][4]

(1983-03-08)8 March 1983
Tump, Kech District, Balochistan, Pakistan
Died (aged 37)
Lake Ontario, Ontario, Canada
Burial placeTump, Balochistan, Pakistan
26°05′54″N 62°21′54″E / 26.0983°N 62.3649°E / 26.0983; 62.3649
NationalityPakistani
OccupationHuman rights activist[5]
Years active2005–2020

Karima Baloch (Balochi: کریمہ بلۏچ; 8 March 1983[6] – 20/22 December 2020),[7] also known as Karima Mehrab (کریمہ محراب),[8][9][10] was a Baloch human rights activist and a dissident.[11]

Activist career

Baloch started her career as a human rights and independence activist in 2005, when she attended a protest in Turbat over forced disappearances in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, where she carried a picture of one of her missing relatives.[12] She joined the Baloch Students Organization (BSO) in 2006, serving in several different positions and eventually becoming the organization's chairperson in 2015.[12] During these years, Baloch travelled all over Balochistan, organizing outreach programs such as protests and rallies. A 2014 OZY article about her states, "In Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, Karima is seen as a dangerous political actor and a threat to the nation’s security. Meanwhile, a thousand kilometers southwest, deep inside Balochistan, she's a local hero and a beacon of hope."[13]

In an interview in 2014, she said,[14]

For us, peaceful struggle has been turned into a lethal poison. During the previous three years, many of our members have been brutally killed and thousands have been abducted. Two months back, the chairman of my organization was kidnapped right in front of my eyes. Before that, in 2009, the vice-chairman of our organization Zakir Majeed was kidnapped by the secret services while he was attending a crowded procession. He is still missing. [...] the noose has been tightened around our necks.

Exile from Pakistan

In 2015, Baloch went into self-imposed exile after terrorism charges were filed against her by the Pakistani state, with her younger sister Mahganj Baloch stating that, "She didn't go abroad because she wanted to, but because... open activism in Pakistan had become impossible."[12][15] A year later, in 2016, she was granted asylum in Canada, where she lived until her disappearance and death in December 2020.[16] In 2016, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public speech on India's Independence Day in which he mentioned the situation in Pakistani Balochistan, Baloch addressed him in a video and thanked him for mentioning the issue, stating: "We will fight our own war, you just be our voice" (translation).[17][18]

Baloch was included in the 100 Women List by the BBC in 2016, where she was identified as a political activist who "campaigns for independence for Balochistan from Pakistan".[19][20][21] Baloch listed Dad Shah and Hatun Bibi—both Baloch rebels who fought against the Imperial State of Iran in Iranian Balochistan—as the primary inspirations behind her activism.[14] In 2018, she raised issues related to gender inequality in Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council.[22] She also raised issues related to Balochistan in Canada, such as during a meeting in Toronto, where she mentioned Pakistan's occupation of Balochistan.[23]

Personal life and family

Baloch had two siblings, a brother named Sameer Mehrab[24] and a sister named Mahganj Baloch.[15][25] She married a fellow Baloch activist, Hammal Baloch (also known as Hammal Haider), in Toronto.[25][11] Several members of her extended family have been linked to the Balochistan insurgency in Pakistan and Iran.[25]

Disappearance and death

Photograph of a protest in Pakistan following the discovery of Karima Baloch's body in Canada. Civil protests were held in cities all over Pakistan, including in Lahore and Karachi.[26]

Baloch was last seen alive on 20 December 2020.[27][28] On 22 December 2020, her dead body was found submerged at the Toronto Waterfront.[29][30] The Toronto Police Service initially reported that her body was found near Lake Ontario, although no further details were given.[25] CBC News reported that a close friend and fellow Baloch activist, Lateef Johar, said that "officers had told her family she was found drowned in the water".[31] Small-scale protests demanding an investigation into her death occurred in Pakistani Balochistan and Canada;[32][33] ethnic Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi minority groups in Canada issued a joint statement in this regard.[34] Canadian police acknowledged the concerns around Baloch's death, but stated that they had found no evidence of foul play,[32] and concluded that her death was "non-criminal".[35][16] Chris Alexander, the former Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, stated in a tweet: "All of us who knew Karima see the circumstances of her death as deeply suspicious. We must leave no stone unturned in uncovering & confronting the reality of what happened to her."[36] CBC News documents the story of Baloch's activism and her death in the podcast The Kill List.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Baloch activist makes Rakhi appeal, asks PM Modi to be voice of their struggle". India Today. 19 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  2. ↑ Perkel, Colin (22 December 2020). "Pakistani dissident Karima Mehrab found dead in Toronto, prompting calls for probe". Global News. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Purkel, Colin (23 December 2020). "Family of activist Karima Mehrab urge thorough investigation into her death". CTV News. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Missing Pakistani dissident Karima Mehrab found dead in Toronto". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  5. ↑ Hashim, Asad (22 December 2020). "Prominent Pakistani rights activist found dead in Toronto". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Grief, anger and a curfew as Pakistani activist Karima Baloch buried". The Guardian. 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. ↑ SL, TAI GABE DIGITALA (22 December 2020). "Hallan muerta a una destacada militante baluche refugiada en Canadá". naiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Perkel, Colin (23 December 2020). "Family of Pakistan dissident Karima Mehrab urge thorough investigation into her death". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Bharti, Bianca; Maric, Jelena (22 December 2020). "Police say death of Pakistani activist Karima Mehrab in Toronto was 'non-criminal' but others have doubts". National Post. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  10. ↑ Perkel, Colin (22 December 2020). "Anger, suspicion after Pakistani dissident Karima Mehrab found dead in Toronto". thestar.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  11. 1 2 Baloch, Shah Meer; Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (22 December 2020). "Karima Baloch, Pakistani human rights activist, found dead in Canada". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 "Karima Baloch: Pakistani rights activist found dead in Toronto". BBC News. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  13. ↑ Palet, Laura Secorun (18 October 2014). "Karima Baloch: Campaigning for Independence From Pakistan". OZY. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  14. 1 2 Hussain, Jahanzeb (10 July 2014). "This woman is leading Baloch students in their struggle for independence from Pakistan". Global Voices. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Karima Baloch: Activist's family mourns a 'mountain of courage'". BBC News. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  16. 1 2 "Canadian police conclude investigation, term Karima Baloch's death 'non-criminal'". Dawn News. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "Rakhi message for PM Modi from Balochistan: Be our brother, be our voice". The Indian Express. 19 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  18. ↑ Sharma, Manimugdha (18 October 2019). Allahu Akbar: Understanding the Great Mughal in Today's India. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-93-86950-54-3. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020. This didn't mean much on a strategic level as India didn't really have the wherewithal to aid the Baloch struggle physically […] This gladdened many Baloch hearts…
  19. ↑ BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list? Archived 11 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 7 October 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Two Pakistani women made it to BBC's 100 Women 2016 list". Dawn. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  21. ↑ "Prominent Baloch activist, vocal critic of Pakistan government, found dead in Toronto". Scroll.in. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  22. ↑ "Deaths of Karima Baloch, Sajid Hussain bound to raise uncomfortable questions for Pakistan on Balochistan". Firstpost. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  23. ↑ Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (27 March 2018). "Baloch activists want support from India without 'Kashmir lens'". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  24. ↑ "Pak activist Karima Baloch's family seeks investigation into her death: MEA". Hindustan Times. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Drury, Flora (24 December 2020). "Karima Baloch: Activist's family mourns a 'mountain of courage'". BBC News. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  26. ↑ "کریمہ بلوچ کی موت کے خلاف پاکستان میں احتجاج". وی او اے (in Urdu). 24 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  27. ↑ "Prominent Baloch activist, vocal critic of Pakistan government, found dead in Toronto". Scroll.in. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  28. ↑ "Toronto Police Operations". Twitter. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  29. ↑ Mukhopadhyay, Ankita (23 December 2020). "Missing Pakistani activist Karima Baloch found dead in Toronto". DW. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  30. ↑ "Activist Karima Baloch, vocal about Balochistan's freedom from Pakistan, found dead in Canada". The Indian Express. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  31. ↑ "Missing Pakistani dissident Karima Mehrab found dead in Toronto". CBC. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  32. 1 2 "Family of activist Karima Mehrab urge thorough investigation into her death". ctvnews.ca. 23 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  33. ↑ "BHRC to hold vigil for activist Karima Baloch in Toronto". ANI News. 26 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  34. ↑ Bhalla, Abhishek (23 December 2020). "Pak dissident groups in Canada claim activist Karima Baloch was murdered, demand investigation". India Today. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  35. ↑ "Canadian police rule out 'foul play' in Pakistani activist death". Al Jazeera. 23 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  36. ↑ Inayat, Naila (25 December 2020). "Threatened with 'Christmas gift', Karima Baloch's death leaves more questions than answers". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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