Did%20the%20ISI%20murder%20Karima%20Baloch%3F

The%20brazen%20assassination%20of%20Karima%20Baloch%20in%20Toronto%20has%20brought%20into%20sharp%20focus%20both%20the%20ongoing%20separatist%20struggle%20in%20Balochistan%20as%20well%20as%20the%20extent%20to%20which%20with%20the%20Pakistan%20government%20will%20go%20to%20silence%20voices%20of%20dissent%20even%20outside%20its%20territorial%20jurisdiction.%26nbsp%3B

I%20served%20as%20Consul%20in%20Karachi%20in%20the%20early%201980s%2C%20and%20I%20witnessed%20from%20close%20quarters%20how%20Baloch%20separatism%20was%20a%20major%20problem%20for%20Pakistan.%20With%20the%20passage%20of%20time%2C%20it%20has%20assumed%20even%20more%20ominous%20dimensions%20and%26nbsp%3Bthe%20Pakistan%20army%20has%20tried%20to%20put%20it%20down%20with%20the%20use%20of%20more%20and%20more%20ruthless%20force.%26nbsp%3B

Although%20Balochistan%20is%20the%20largest%20of%20the%20provinces%20of%20Pakistan%20and%20covers%2044%25%20of%20the%20area%2C%20it%20is%20the%20least%20populated%20with%20only%206.85%25%20of%20the%20population.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20least%20economically%20developed%20with%20the%20vast%20majority%20of%20the%20population%20lacking%20even%20basic%20amenities%3B%20this%20has%20given%20rise%20to%20mass%20discontent%20and%20fueled%20separatism.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/grow-up-justin-trudeau-controversys-favourite-child-support-agitating-indian-farmers%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EGrow%20up%2C%20Justin%20Trudeau%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Baloch%20separatism%20is%20quite%20deep-rooted%20in%20history.%20Balochistan%20consisted%20of%20four%20princely%20states%20under%20the%20British%20Raj%20%u2014%20Kalat%2C%20Makran%2C%20Las%20Bela%20and%20Kharan.%20In%201947%2C%20the%20Khan%20of%20Kalat%2C%20the%20ruler%20of%20the%20largest%20of%20these%20princely%20states%20chose%20independence%2C%20which%20was%20an%20option%20given%20to%20all%20the%20535%20princely%20states.%20The%20other%20Balochi%20chiefs%20also%20expressed%20their%20preference%20for%20a%20separate%20identity.%20However%2C%20Pakistan%20sent%20in%20its%20army%20which%20forced%20the%20Khan%20of%20Kalat%20to%20give%20up%20his%20independence.%20The%20Khan%20signed%20the%20instrument%20of%20accession%20on%2027%20March%201948%2C%20over%20seven%20months%20after%20the%20formation%20of%20Pakistan.

Even%20after%20the%20forcible%20accession%20of%20Kalat%20to%20Pakistan%2C%20Baloch%20separatism%20has%20continued%20to%20rear%20its%20menacing%20head%20from%20time%20to%20time.%20Major%20conflicts%20between%20Baloch%26nbsp%3Bseparatists%20and%20the%20Pakistan%20army%20took%20place%20in%201948%2C%201958-59%2C%201963-69%20and%201973-77.%20A%20low-level%20insurgency%20has%20been%20going%20on%20since%202004.%20A%20large%20number%20of%20Balochi%20guerrilla%20fighters%20and%20civilians%20have%20been%20killed%20in%20the%20operations%20conducted%20by%20the%20Pakistan%20army%2C%20and%20several%20thousand%20Balochis%20have%20disappeared%20after%20they%20were%20abducted%20by%20Pakistani%20security%20forces.

The%20Pakistani%20media%20is%20subjected%20to%20strict%20censorship%2C%20and%20reports%20about%20the%20ongoing%20large-scale%20human%20rights%20violations%20in%20Balochistan%20are%20not%20allowed%20to%20appear.%20However%2C%20the%20world%20does%20come%20to%20know%20what%20is%20going%20on%20here%20through%20the%20speeches%20and%20writings%20of%20Baloch%20activists%3B%20despite%20the%20unrelenting%20efforts%20of%20the%20government%20and%20the%20military%20to%20muzzle%20the%20press%2C%20the%20people%20in%20Pakistan%2C%20as%20well%20as%20elsewhere%2C%20are%20fully%20aware%20of%20the%20seriousness%20of%20the%20situation%20in%20Balochistan%20through%20the%20efforts%20of%20these%20activists.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/decoding-us-pressure-on-india-for-mq-9-reaper-drone-purchases%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EDecoding%20US%20pressure%20on%20India%20for%20MQ-9%20Reaper%20drone%20purchases%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Therefore%2C%20it%20should%20come%20as%20no%20surprise%20that%20the%20Pakistan%20government%20tries%20to%20silence%20their%20voices.%26nbsp%3BIn%20May%20this%20year%2C%20Sajid%20Hussain%2C%20a%20journalist%20who%20wrote%20about%20human%20rights%20violations%20in%20Balochistan%2C%20was%20found%20dead%20in%20a%20river%20in%20Sweden%2C%20where%20he%20had%20sought%20asylum%20after%20threats%20to%20his%20life%20in%20Pakistan.%20Now%2C%20earlier%20this%20week%20another%20such%20activist%20Karima%20Baloch%20has%20died%20in%20Canada%20in%20mysterious%20circumstances.

Since%20moving%20to%20Canada%20as%20a%20refugee%20in%202016%2C%20Karima%20Baloch%20had%20continued%20to%20be%20vocal%20about%20human%20rights%20abuses%20in%20her%20home%20province%20of%20Balochistan%20and%20across%20Pakistan.%20She%20regularly%20spoke%20at%20conferences%2C%20addressed%20the%20media%20and%20attended%20protest%20rallies%20in%20Canada.%26nbsp%3BThus%2C%20she%20continued%20to%20be%20a%20thorn%20in%20the%20side%20of%20the%20Pakistan%20government.

Karima%20Baloch%26nbsp%3Bhad%20gone%20missing%20on%20Sunday%2C%20December%2020%2C%20and%20next%20day%2C%20the%20Toronto%20police%20found%20her%20body%20drowned%20off%20an%20island%20just%20near%20Toronto%u2019s%20lakeshore.

The%20police%20is%20investigating%20the%20case%20as%20a%20non-criminal%20death.%20They%20have%20reportedly%20said%20%22On%20Monday%2C%20December%2021%2C%202020%2C%20a%2037-year-old%20woman%20was%20located%20deceased.%20It%20is%20currently%20being%20investigated%20as%20a%20non-criminal%20death%20and%20there%20are%20not%20believed%20to%20be%20any%20suspicious%20circumstances.%22%26nbsp%3B

However%2C%20the%20Toronto%20police%27s%20statement%20ignores%20the%20circumstances%20of%20the%20case.%26nbsp%3BAccording%20to%20Karima%20Baloch%27s%20husband%20Hammal%20Haider%2C%20who%20is%20also%20a%20Pakistani%20activist%20living%20in%20exile%2C%20she%20had%20left%20home%20at%20midday%20on%20Sunday%20for%20a%20walk%20on%20Toronto%u2019s%20Centre%20Island%3B%20this%20is%20something%20she%20often%20did%2C%20but%20that%20day%20she%20never%20returned.%22

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-modi-biden-telephone-call%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%20Modi-Biden%20telephone%20call%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

He%20said%3A%26nbsp%3B%20%u201CI%20can%u2019t%20believe%20that%20it%u2019s%20an%20act%20of%20suicide.%20She%20was%20a%20strong%20lady%20and%20she%20left%20home%20in%20a%20good%20mood%u201D%20adding%20%u201CWe%20can%u2019t%20rule%20out%20foul%20play%20as%20she%20has%20been%20under%20threats.%20She%20left%20Pakistan%20as%20her%20home%20was%20raided%20more%20than%20twice.%20Her%20uncle%20was%20killed.%20She%20was%20threatened%20to%20leave%20activism%20and%20political%20activities%20but%20she%20did%20not%20and%20fled%20to%20Canada%22.

Both%20Haider%20and%20Karima%20Baloch%20had%20received%20multiple%20threatening%20messages%20over%20social%20media%20after%20raising%20the%20issue%20of%20human%20rights%20abuses%20and%20military%20operations%20in%20Balochistan.%26nbsp%3BHe%20said%3A%20%u201CI%20was%20told%20that%20my%20brothers%20and%20wife%20can%20be%20targeted.%20I%20didn%u2019t%20take%20them%20seriously.%20We%20often%20get%20such%20trolls%20and%20threats%20while%20talking%20about%20human%20rights%20abuses%22.

Amnesty%20International%20has%20called%20for%20a%20thorough%20inquiry%20and%20said%3A%20%u201CThe%20death%20of%20activist%20Baloch%20in%20Toronto%2C%20Canada%20is%20deeply%20shocking%20and%20must%20be%20immediately%20and%20effectively%20investigated.%20The%20perpetrators%20must%20be%20brought%20to%20justice%20without%20recourse%20to%20the%20death%20penalty.%u201D

Others%20have%20also%20echoed%20these%20views.%20Speaking%20to%20the%20media%2C%20senior%20Canadian%20journalist%20Tarek%20Fatah%20said%20%u201CToronto%20Police%20and%20Canadian%20security%20agency%20CSIS%20must%20investigate%20the%20possibility%20of%20Pakistan%u2019s%20hand%20in%20Karima%u2019s%20death.%20Prime%20Minister%20Trudeau%20must%20act%20to%20rid%20Canada%20of%20Pakistan%20ISI%20agents.%u201D

There%20are%20fears%20that%20the%20ISI%27s%20influence%20in%20Canada%20is%20growing%20slowly%20but%20steadily.%20It%20has%20become%20clear%20as%20daylight%20that%20the%20%27dirty%20tricks%27%20department%20of%20the%20ISI%20is%20now%20increasingly%20active%20there%20and%20feels%20emboldened%20to%20indulge%20in%20its%20nefarious%20activities%20quite%20brazenly.%20Not%20surprisingly%2C%26nbsp%3BISI%20operatives%20also%20work%20closely%20with%20Khalistani%20activists%20to%20carry%20out%20an%20anti-India%20agenda%20there.

There%20are%20many%20factors%20behind%20the%20ISI%27s%20growing%20footprint%20in%20Canada.%20For%20example%2C%20there%20are%20some%20persons%20of%20Pakistani%20origin%20who%20occupy%20important%20positions%20in%20the%20Canadian%20government.%20Again%2C%20there%20are%20reports%20that%20many%20retired%20officers%20of%20the%20Pakistan%20army%20are%20helped%20by%20their%20government%20to%20settle%20down%20in%20Canada%3B%20once%20there%2C%20they%20conveniently%20serve%20as%20ISI%20operatives.%20All%20such%20aspects%26nbsp%3Bhave%20come%20into%20sharper%20focus%20on%20account%20of%20the%20suspicious%20circumstances%20surrounding%20the%20death%20of%20Baloch.%26nbsp%3B

It%20may%20be%20recalled%20that%20Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi%2C%20in%20his%20Independence%20Day%20speech%20in%202016%2C%20had%20lashed%20out%20at%20Pakistan%20for%20suppressing%20the%20people%20of%20Balochistan%2C%20Gilgit-Baltistan%20and%20POK.%20In%20appreciation%20of%20this%2C%20Karima%20Baloch%20had%20recorded%20a%20video%20message%20for%20Modi%20on%20Rakshabandhan%20seeking%20his%20support%20for%20the%20Balochistan%20cause.%20%u201CWe%20appeal%20to%20you%20that%2C%20as%20our%20brother%2C%20you%20speak%20about%20the%20genocide%20and%20war%20crimes%20in%20Balochistan%20on%20international%20forums%20and%20become%20the%20voice%20of%20the%20sisters%20of%20Balochistan%2C%u201D%20she%20had%20said.

Pakistan%20has%20silenced%20her%20and%20will%20try%20to%20silence%20all%20such%20voices%20of%20dissent.%20However%2C%20the%20international%20community%20must%20step%20in%20and%20prevent%20further%20atrocities.%20At%20the%20very%20least%2C%20pressure%20should%20be%20mounted%20that%20an%20impartial%20inquiry%20into%20the%20death%20of%20Karima%20Baloch%20should%20be%20conducted%20by%20the%20Canadian%20authorities%20and%20the%20perpetrators%20of%20this%20dastardly%20crime%20punished.%26nbsp%3B

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23KarimaBaloch%22%20data-user-id%3D%224J0L4s01susv%22%20href%3D%22/topic/karimabaloch%22%3E%23KarimaBaloch%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23ISI%22%20data-user-id%3D%22FICB4Kz9DvbN%22%20href%3D%22/topic/isi%22%3E%23ISI%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Pakistan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22wizuXkuQ3rL8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pakistan%22%3E%23Pakistan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Balochistan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Ya6OERvE39u6%22%20href%3D%22/topic/balochistan%22%3E%23Balochistan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Murder%22%20data-user-id%3D%22ZoRugbLW82aI%22%20href%3D%22/topic/murder%22%3E%23Murder%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Canada%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Go7uHdKEBarl%22%20href%3D%22/topic/canada%22%3E%23Canada%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23World%22%20data-user-id%3D%22iEhRQcab92b8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/world%22%3E%23World%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B