The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the family of Karima Baloch, a prominent Pakistani human rights activist found dead in the Canadian city of Toronto, had requested an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Karima, 37, was reported missing from the Toronto waterfront on December 20 and her body was found by police a day later. Local police said they have no reason to suspect a crime, but Karima’s husband, Hammal Haidar, and his brother, Sameer Mehrab, said he had been receiving death threats and requested an investigation.
When asked about the death of the Baloch activist during a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said: “We have also seen reports on the death of Ms. Karima Baloch, a prominent Baloch activist. . Our condolences to the family.
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“It is not for us to comment on this matter, but I understand that his family has requested an investigation,” he added.
Amnesty International has described Karima’s death as “deeply shocking” and has said that the Canadian authorities must “investigate immediately and effectively”.
Karima fled Pakistan in 2016, saying she feared for her life due to threats from the military and intelligence agencies, and sought refuge in Canada, where she was later granted asylum.
She was included in the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women for 2016, in which she was described as an activist “for the independence of Baluchistan from Pakistan.” The same year, he had recorded a video message on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “brother” and asking him to become the voice of the Baloch movement.
At an event held by Baloch Canadians in Toronto in 2018 to mark what they claimed to be the 70th anniversary of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of Balochistan, Karima said that India had the power to raise what it described as the “genocide” of the Baloch people.
Karima’s death came about eight months after Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain Baloch, who wrote about human rights abuses in Baluchistan, was found dead in Sweden. His family and friends alleged that he was killed. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said his mysterious disappearance and death could have been arranged by Pakistani intelligence agencies because of his work as a journalist.
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