Karima Baloch’s husband has said that that her family is not satisfied with the police investigation on her death, and demanded that the authorities must take into account all the circumstances surrounding her mysterious death. He said that this is not just the demand of the family, but that of the entire Baloch nation.
Hammal Haidar, husband of the deceased activist, expressed his views in a live interview with Radio Zrumbesh Balochi where he also answered questions from other participants.
He said that the Canadian investigative officials have our full support and cooperation; they must conduct a meticulous enquiry on Karima Baloch’s death. We can also recourse to courts if their investigation does not bear any fruit, he said.
Haider said that the west has been a haven for Baloch activists and political dissidents where they can communicate the “atrocities” they faced and detail the problems they confronted in their work. He said that if Pakistani or any other country can hunt down its dissenters with such professionalism, the world should be alarmed.
He said that prominent rights groups – the Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others – have requested the Canadian government to conduct a thorough investigation on Karima Baloch’s death. But if the Canadian government does not pay heed to their pleas, we will believe that Canada shares an amicable relationship with Pakistan.
Haider said that there is a possibility that the Macch massacre – where ten Hazara coal miners were murdered in cold-blood – was an attempt to divert the attention that had emerged following Karima Baloch’s death.
In the initial few days of the activist’s mysterious death, her family had made it clear that they are not satisfied with the preliminary investigation by the Canadian police, which had ruled the death as “non-criminal” and loosely attributed it to suicide or an accident. Ms Baloch’s brother and husband described her as a courageous and persevering woman, and said that she would not take her life under any circumstances.
Karima Baloch’s death engendered a massive uproar in Balochistan and abroad. Activist and rights groups organized protest throughout Balochistan and several major cities of Pakistan, including the federal capital Islamabad. Baloch National Movement held demonstrations in front of the Canadian embassy overseas, demanding that the Canadian authorities must thoroughly investigate the activist’s death.
Baloch Solidarity Committee was the most active group in Balochistan in this regard. It held nationwide protests and demonstrations, demanding an honest enquiry on Karima Baloch’s death. The Committee said that the Pakistani forces and their local proxies – known as “death squads” – had attempted to crush their peaceful protests. Houses of activists were allegedly raided in Pasni and Quetta, and woman were frequently harassed for participating in the protests.
According to the details, an active worker of the Baloch Solidarity Committee went missing in Karachi on Wednesday. Jalal Baloch, a resident of the Tump area of Kech, was allegedly “abducted” by the Pakistani forces and moved to an undisclosed location.
Jalal Baloch was reportedly travelling to Karachi but was detained by the forces on a check-post in Hub Chowki.
The sources say that Jalal Baloch was an active member of the Committee and had played a crucial role in organizing protests and demonstrations after against Karima Baloch’s alleged assassination.
Earlier today Jalal Baloch was released.