Karima Baloch, activist and thorn in Pakistan's side, found mysteriously dead in Canada

Karima Baloch, an activist and former chairperson of Baloch Students Organisation – Azad who had been vocal about Pakistan Army and government atrocities in Balochistan, has been found dead in Toronto Canada, according to Balochistan Post.

Karima was a Canadian refugee and named as one of the world's 100 most "inspirational and influential" women in 2016 by the BBC. She had gone missing on Sunday and was last seen at approximately 3 pm on the same day. Toronto Police had requested for public assistance in locating her. However, now her family has confirmed that Karima's body has been found.

A staunch critic of Pakistan govt

Karima Baloch, a famous personality in Balochistan, is believed to be the pioneer of women activism there. She has also raised the issue of Balochistan in the United Nations sessions in Switzerland. In an interview in May 2019, she had accused Pakistan of taking away the resources and eliminating the people of Balochistan, the province with immense geo-strategic importance and huge untapped natural resource reserves.

Balochistan Post said that the sudden death of the activist has raised serious concern. This is not the first case that Pakistani dissident has been found dead. In May, Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain was found dead in Sweden. He had been missing from the city of Uppsala since March 2. Reporters without Borders (RSF), a Paris-based journalists’ organisation, alleged that Hussain’s mysterious disappearance and subsequent death could have been organized by the Pakistani intelligence agencies – ISI and MI (Military Intelligence) – due to his work as a journalist.

In 2016, she had also sent a Raksha Bandhan message to PM Narendra Modi on behalf of her Balochistan sisters who lost their brothers. 

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The dissidents and critics of the Pakistan authorities, who are living in exile are under constant fear as the criticism of the military in Pakistan has always been frowned upon. People who criticise the military and its policies are harassed by agencies.  

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 agency inputs)