Who was Karima Baloch? Trudeau's ‘conspicuous silence’ questioned on Pak activist's death

Amid the simmering tensions between India and Canada, the Baloch Human Rights Council of Canada (BHRC-Canada) wrote an open letter to the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointing out the difference between how he treated the death of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and exiled Pakistani Human Rights activist Karima Baloch. The body expressed deep concerns over Trudeau’s silence in the case and demanded a transparent investigation. The Pakistani human rights activist, who was living in exile, was found dead in Toronto in December 2020 

“The Baloch Human Rights Council of Canada (BHRC-Canada) expresses deep concern regarding the Canadian Government's perceived inconsistencies in its response to the mysterious death of Balochistan rights activist and protected individual, Ms Karima Baloch, in December 2020, in Toronto,” the human rights group said in a statement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's conspicuous silence regarding the high-profile, unexplained death of Karima Baloch-a prominent Balochistan human rights defender-stands in stark contrast to his impassioned speeches in the House of Commons and extensive international media coverage concerning the shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada,” the body stated. BHRC called out the Trudeau administration’s “apparent reluctance” to address the matter and demanded a fresh probe in the case. 

Who was Karima Baloch? 

Karima Baloch also known as Karima Mehrab was an exiled Pakistani human rights activist who was born in 1983. Baloch started her career in Human rights after she attended a protest in Turbat in 2005. The protest was being held over forced disappearances in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, where she carried a picture of one of her missing relatives. She joined the Baloch Students Organization (BSO) next year and eventually became the chairperson of the group in 2015. In the same year, Baloch went into self-imposed exile after the then-ruling Pakistani regime filed terrorism charges against her. “For us, peaceful struggle has been turned into a lethal poison,” she said in an interview before leaving the country. 

According to The Guardian, the 37-year-old was granted asylum in Canada in 2016. Not only this, she was listed in the 100 most inspirational and influential women of 2016 by international media for her work. In 2018, she thanked PM Modi for mentioning the plight of the people of Balochistan in his address. In the video, she sent out Rakhi wishes to the Prime Minister. 

Her disappearance and death

According to Canadian news outlet CBC News, Baloch was last seen alive on 20 December 2020. She went missing soon after and on 22 December 2020, her dead body was found submerged at the Toronto Waterfront. However, initial reports stated that her body was found near Lake Ontario. The Toronto police conducted the whole investigation in a haphazard manner. Within 48 hours of the discovery, the police claimed that "no foul play was suspected”. The investigation drew criticism and protests from other Balochistan human rights activists. Baloch’s supporter claimed that she was getting death threats from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). 

Why is Baloch’s story coming to the forefront? 

The BHRC raised the issue amid growing tensions between India and Canada over the death of Pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Sing Nijjar. Earlier this week, Trudeau claimed that the Indian government was allegedly involved in the assassination of the extremist leader sparking intense criticisms from New Delhi. The two nations not only expelled senior diplomats but also took stern measures against each other. While Trudeau was criticised in India, he received significant flak at home. 

“Baseless and unacceptable that’s how the Indian government described the Prime Minister’s bizarre theory that the death of a convicted terrorist is somehow the fault of agents working on behalf of the Indian government,” Andrew Scheer said as he started his lethal attack against Trudeau on the floors of the House of Commons. The opposition leader insisted that Trudeau’s ‘incompetence’ has severely damaged Canada’s relations with the world’s largest democracy and an emerging power in Asia. “Will the PM finally do the right thing and produce some kind of proof of his conspiracy theory,” he asked Trudeau.