Karima Baloch's death: Sindhis & Balochis join hands to seek justice, exposes Pakistan

Sindh and Baloch community members in Canada have joined hands demanding an independent and thorough investigation into Karima Baloch's mysterious death while highlighting the oppressive policies of Pakistan in Balochistan. The Sindhi Baloch Forum (SBF) will be organising a webinar to put pressure on international organisations over the rise in killings of Baloch activists and their safety abroad and also brutality and gross human rights violation by Pakistan. 

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"The Sindhi Baloch Forum (SBF) will be convening a webinar to pay homage to the prominent human rights defender and political activist Karima Baloch who recently died in mysterious circumstances in the Canadian city of Toronto on 22 December 2020. The SBF has expressed serious concern over the death of Karima and has demanded an independent and thorough investigation of the matter," Balochistan Affairs reported.

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'SBF webinar to bring together esteemed panel of Sindhi & Baloch human rights defenders and scholars'

"The SBF webinar will bring together an esteemed panel of Sindhi and Baloch human rights defenders and scholars on Saturday 16 January 2021 to remember the brave and courageous daughter of Balochistan," it added.

The Baloch activists' death has also sparked protests across Europe and North America as the Baloch diaspora took to the streets in Toronto, Berlin and Netherlands calling on the Canadian government to investigate.

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Karima's body was found in Ontario Lake Toronto harbourfront a few weeks ago under mysterious circumstances. The Toronto police on December 23 termed the death of Karima Baloch a "non-criminal death", but the family, friends, and her husband are demanding an independent inquiry into the case. The law enforcement officers of Toronto had said that the circumstances of the incident have been investigated and “no foul play is suspected”. 

On December 29, Baloch National Movement (BNM) members in the United States held a protest in front of the Canadian Embassy in Washington over the death of Baloch in Toronto. Protestors made calls for justice and demanded a formal investigation into the death of the human rights activist who was missing since December 20 and had made many enemies in the Pakistani dispensation for exposing its atrocities.

Balochistan is a restive province where the Pakistani Army is accused of indulging in gross human rights violations including abducting and killing of innocents. Resource-rich Balochistan has been gripped by an insurgency for more than 15 years. Thousands of Baloch political activists in order to avoid persecution escaped from Balochistan and are compelled to seek asylum in European counties; journalists and human rights activists are among these asylum seekers.

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(With ANI Inputs)