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Karima Baloch

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Banuk Karima Baloch
Karima Baloch in a video message to the Indian Prime Minister[1]
Born1983 (1983)
Disappeared (aged 37)
Died
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Body discovered22 December 2020
Other namesKarima Mehrab
OccupationHuman rights activist
Known for100 Women (BBC), 2016, "campaigns for independence for Balochistan from Pakistan"

Banuk Karima Baloch (Template:Lang-bal; 1983 – 20/22 December 2020) was a Baloch human rights activist and Pakistani dissident.[2] She campaigned for independence of Balochistan from Pakistan and was included in a BBC list of 100 inspirational and influential women of 2016.[3]

Career

Baluchistan shaded in pink

Karima Baloch started her career as activist in 2005, in Balochistan's Turbat area, where she attended a protest over missing persons and carried the picture of one of her missing relatives.[4] She joined the Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad) in 2006, serving in several different positions in the following years, and she became the chair of BSO-Azad in 2015.[4] During these years, Karima Baloch travelled throughout the Baloch region organizing outreach programs such as protests and rallies. A 2014 OZY article about her says, "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."[5]

In an interview in 2014, she said,[6]

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.

In 2015, Baloch went into exile after terrorism charges were filed against her.[4] In 2016, she was granted asylum in Canada, where she lived until her death in 2020.[7] In 2016, following Indian Prime Minister Modi’s speech on India's Independence Day in which he mentioned Balochistan, Karima Baloch made a video thanking him, adding "We will fight our own war, you just be our voice" (translation).[8][9]

Baloch was chosen as one of the BBC 100 Women in 2016. They identified her as a political activist who "campaigns for independence for Balochistan from Pakistan".[10][11][12] Dad Shah and Hatun Bibi inspired her.[6] In 2018, she raised issues related to gender inequality in Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council.[13] She also raised issues related to Balochistan in Canada, such as during a meeting in Toronto marking Pakistan’s "occupation".[14]

Family

Baloch had two siblings, a brother and a sister.[15] In Toronto, she married a fellow activist, Hammal Baloch (also known as Hammal Haider).[15][2] Several members of her extended family have been linked to the Baloch resistance movement.[15]

Death

Protest in Pakistan in reaction to Karima Baloch death.

Baloch was last seen on 20 December 2020.[16] On 22 December 2020, she was found dead in Toronto.[17][18] Police were reported as saying her body was found near Lake Ontario, but no further details were given.[15] CBC News reported that a close friend and Baloch activist, Lateef Johar, said that "officers had told her family she was found drowned in the water".[19] Small scale protests demanding an investigation into her death occurred in Balochistan and Canada.[20][21] Baloch, Pashtun, and Sindhi groups in Canada issued a joint statement in this regard.[22] Canadian police then said that they were aware of the concerns around Baloch's death, but they had found no evidence of foul play,[20] and concluded that her death was "non-criminal".[23][7] Chris Alexander, Canada's former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, tweeted: "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."[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Baloch activist makes Rakhi appeal, asks PM Modi to be voice of their struggle". India Today. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ "Baloch activist vocal about Pakistan goes missing, found dead in Toronto". 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b Hussain, Jahanzeb (10 July 2014). "This woman is leading Baloch students in their struggle for independence from Pakistan". Global Voices. Retrieved 24 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b "Canadian police conclude investigation, term Karima Baloch's death 'non-criminal'". Dawn News. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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…
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Prominent Baloch activist, vocal critic of Pakistan government, found dead in Toronto". Scroll.in. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Deaths of Karima Baloch, Sajid Hussain bound to raise uncomfortable questions for Pakistan on Balochistan". Firstpost. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ a b c d Drury, Flora (24 December 2020). "Karima Baloch: Activist's family mourns a 'mountain of courage'". BBC News. Retrieved 24 December 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Prominent Baloch activist, vocal critic of Pakistan government, found dead in Toronto". Scroll.in. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  17. ^ Mukhopadhyay, Ankita (23 December 2020). "Missing Pakistani activist Karima Baloch found dead in Toronto". DW. Retrieved 23 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Activist Karima Baloch, vocal about Balochistan's freedom from Pakistan, found dead in Canada". The Indian Express. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ a b "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.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ 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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