Demonstrations were held in Karachi and Lahore against the alleged murder of the rights activist Karima Baloch on Thursday. Scores of participants took to the streets, carrying placards and banners that bore messages of justice for the Baloch activist in English, Urdu and Balochi.
After the thousands-strong gatherings in Quetta and Hub Chowki, the Baloch Solidarity Committee organized a demonstration in Karachi. The rally was attended by hundreds of participants, majority of which were women. Sindhi and Pashtun political workers, members of human rights commissions and students were also in attendance.
Mama Qadeer Baloch, Vice-Chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), writer Muhammad Ali Talpur, Mehlab Baloch, daughter of the missing Dr. Deen Muhammad, Yousaf Masti Khan and various other activists addressed the gathering.
The speakers rejected the conclusion of the Toronto police department that Karima Baloch’s death was an accident or an act of suicide, and demanded that the matter must be investigated fairly and transparently.
They said that Karima Baloch is the symbol of resistance. Ideologies don’t die, she will continue to lead us. They said that she is the intellectual mother of thousands of political activists – it was her tutelage that produced youths like Ehsan, Shadad and others.
The speakers said that the Baloch nation believes that the death of the Karima Baloch was orchestrated by the Pakistani state, and demands that the Canadian government conduct a thorough investigation on the incident. Both Sajid and Karima were “killed” in a similar manner; the perpetrators employed this “suicide charade” to hide their tracks.
They said that the state targeted Rashid Hussain, Sajid Hussain and Karima Baloch in foreign countries. The Canadian government must concede its mistake and apologize to the Baloch nation, as it had failed to protect the “daughter of Balochistan.”
Students and people from various schools of thoughts also organized a demonstration against the alleged murder of Karima Baloch in Lahore. The participants carried placards and banners that bore messages like “I will come back and we will be millions”, “Murder of Karima Baloch is the continuation of Baloch genocide.”
“Shahzaib Khanzada Sb!! May I deserve your five minutes??” one placard read, calling out the Pakistani media for neglecting the incident of Karima Baloch’s death. “We will never kneel. We will prevail”, read another placard, quoting the words of the deceased activist.
The participants appealed to the Canadian government to conduct a comprehensive investigation on her death and provide justice to not just herself and her family, but the entire Baloch nation.