Karima Baloch

 "…Baloch students still always choose to struggle peacefully for their rights. But they always face torture, death and disappearances. My support is with the brave and courageous BMC students who’re always in the front line.”

Today we mourn the death of Karima Baloch, a Pakistani human rights activist who was found dead in Toronto today, aged 37. Karima had been living in exile for 5 years and was a vocal critic of the Pakistani military and state.

The Balochistan province has long harboured hopes of independence and hosted separatist insurgency. Balochistan activists claim that thousands of campaigners have gone missing in recent years, including several members of Baloch’s extended family including two uncles who were later found dead.  The Pakistani military denies accusations of brutally suppressing the region's aspirations for autonomy, but the friction is evident.

Ms Baloch was a well-known activist in the region; she was the first female head of the Baloch Students' Organisation (BSO) - a banned activist group. Her first public appearance as an activist was in 2005, when she attended a protest over missing persons, carrying the picture of one of her missing relatives. She joined the BSO in 2006, serving in several positions within the movement. The group was officially banned by the government in 2013, but its existence continued and Ms Baloch became chairperson in 2015. Only a few months later, she fled into exile after terrorism charges were levelled against her. In Toronto, she married a fellow activist and remained active both on social media and in human rights activities in Canada and Europe. In 2016, Ms Baloch was named in the BBC's annual list of 100 inspirational and influential women for her work as a campaigner.  Since moving to Canada, Baloch had continued to be vocal about human rights abuses in her home province and across Pakistan. She regularly spoke at conferences, addressed the media and attended protest rallies in Canada. Just last week, she shared an article entitled “Kidnap, torture, murder: the plight of Pakistan’s thousands of disappeared”, which is still available to read at The Guardian for more info on what she was fighting for.

“A national liberation movement without the participation of women is incomplete”

Baloch’s husband said she had left home at midday on Sunday for a walk on Toronto’s Centre Island as she often did, but never returned. Toronto police later put out an appeal for information on Twitter and her body was found on Monday on the island. Ms Baloch's sister told the BBC Urdu service on Tuesday that her death was "not only a tragedy for the family, but also for the Baloch national movement…she didn't go abroad because she wanted to, but because... open activism in Pakistan had become impossible”. On hearing of Ms Baloch's death, the Balochistan National Movement (BNM) has announced a 40-day mourning period.

There is great suspicion surrounding Karima’s death owing to the numerous threats she received both before and during her exile. A fellow activist who lived nearby reported that Karima had recently received anonymous threats warning someone would send her a "Christmas gift" and "teach her a lesson”. “She had received threats from unknown Pakistani numbers on WhatsApp after a few Baloch students were abducted in late 2017. Those threats also mentioned me. She was asked to come back to Pakistan and told that if she comes back, the cases against her would be quashed and those abducted students would be freed.” Her friend, her sister and her husband all reject claims that her death was a suicide, both believing her to be in good spirits and full of ambition for the future. Rather, her husband believes: “We can’t rule out foul play as she has been under threats. She left Pakistan as her home was raided more than twice. Her uncle was killed. She was threatened to leave activism and political activities but she did not and fled to Canada.” He also reported receiving multiple threatening messages over social media after raising the issue of human rights abuses and military operations in Balochistan in recent months. He said: “I was told that my brothers and wife can be targeted. I didn’t take them seriously. We often get such trolls and threats while talking about human rights abuses. “I can’t blame anyone right now. We are just waiting to hear from police on its investigation.”

Such suspicion is further raised by the recent death of another former Baloch resident living in exile, journalist Sajid Hussain Baloch. Mr Baloch, who was related to Ms Baloch, was living in Sweden. Swedish police ruled out any "visible wrongdoing" and the cause of death was ruled to be drowning. However: “The family was not convinced by the investigation and they have requested for more evidence from the Swedish authorities. Their request has yet to be entertained.”

Amnesty International said: “The death of activist Karima Baloch in Toronto, Canada is deeply shocking and must be immediately and effectively investigated. The perpetrators must be brought to justice without recourse to the death penalty.”

Whatever happened, I hope that Karima’s death is soon settled and that she receives the justice she deserves. While I learned of her existence only recently, she demonstrated extreme bravery in speaking out for her people despite the threats to her life. She also helped to smash the view of Muslim-Pakistani women as weak and subservient pawns in a patriarchal society and religion – she led from the front and defied whole armies to fight for her family and her country. She is an inspiration and will be deeply missed within and beyond her community. My thoughts are with her family, who have already endured so much, at this horrific time.