Karima Baloch's demise: Toronto Police suspects 'no foul play' in activist's death

Following the death of Pakistani political activist Karima Baloch who had campaigned vigorously against the disappearances human rights violations in the troubled Balochistan province, the Toronto police on December 23 trimmed it a “non-criminal death”. The law enforcement officers of Toronto, where Baloch’s body was found on Monday near a body of water after going missing, said that the circumstances of the incident have been investigated and “no foul play is suspected”. The 37-year-old was living in exile in Canada after being granted asylum in 2016 after her work led to threats by authorities in the troubled Pakistan state of Balochistan.

However, the Toronto Police’s conclusion to Baloch’s death triggered a serious backlash on the internet including BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi questioning Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter over the protection of lives and liberty of the people in the foreign country. The Toronto Police spokesperson Caroline de Kloet had also said, “It is currently being investigated as a non-criminal death and there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances” after the 37-year-old’s body was found near Toronto's downtown waterfront Monday, a day after she had been reported missing.

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‘Can’t believe that it was an accident’: Baloch’s friend

Lateef Johar, a close friend of Karima Baloch and fellow activist expressed disbelief in the sudden death of his friend and said he did not believe it was suicide or an accident. Johar also said that Baloch’s husband had shown messages saying “ they will send a Christmas gift to Karima that she will never forget, and other related messages, too.” He added ‘can’t believe that it was an accident’.

"Her family and I can’t believe that it was an accident or something else as we know she was threatened; her friends and family members were previously were abducted and killed," Johar said. He said he didn’t think she suffered from depression but was prescribed sleeping pills recently. He said she was very strong. "She has enemies that are the state," he said. 

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