The Pakistani security forces are reportedly hunting down women in Quetta and Pasni for participating in the demonstrations held against the alleged murder of activist Karima Baloch.
According to the sources, the security forces raided the house of the young activist Sheeraz Akbar who had led the Friday’s demonstration against the alleged murder of Karima Baloch, in Pasni. Akbar was not in his house at that time.
The locals say that the forces threatened the family members of Akbar and enquired about a girl who had participated in the protest on Friday. The forces reportedly raided other places as well in the quest of the girl.
In Quetta, the security forces reportedly raided the house of the sister of Asad Yousaf and confiscated her mobile phone. They also warned her and a few others to not participate in any such protest in future.
The authorities have not yet commented on any of the two incidents.
Activist Karima Baloch’s mysterious death in Canada has agitated the masses not only in Balochistan, but beyond the borders as well, who claim that the Pakisani intelligence agencies orchestrated the whole incident. Baloch National Movement (BNM), a pro-independent political movement, announced that it will carry out protests in America and Netherlands against the alleged murder of Karima Baloch. The demonstrations will be held in front of the Canadian embassies in both of the countries.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has been organizing demonstrations throughout Balochistan for the past few days. On Sunday, it carried out a protest in Dera Ghazi Khan which was attended by political workers, students and people from different walks of life.
Addressing the gathering, the speakers said that Karima Baloch had enlightened the Baloch youth. She led the Baloch politics through a critical juncture of its existence – at a time when the enforced disappearances and “kill-and-dumps” were rampant in Balochistan and when the Baloch youth were mired in despondency.
They said that Karima Baloch’s death is the continuation of the “kill-and-dump” policy of the state. Her death is not an isolated event, Baloch activists and journalists have been targeted in the past as well. The “abduction” and subsequent “martyrdom” of Sajid Hussain in Sweden and the “enforced disappearance” of Rashid Hussain in UAE are two other examples of such incidents.
Commenting on Karima Baloch’s mysterious death, Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, the leader of the pro-independence group Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), said that she was a historical figure. In a very short span of time, the Baloch youth had started following her lead towards the path of independence, he said.