Karima Baloch’s body illegally and forcefully escorted in Pak, says family

at 1:42 pm
Karima Baloch

New Delhi (NVI): The body of human rights activist Karima Baloch, which was flown to Karachi from Canada today, was illegally and forcefully escorted in Pakistan without the consent of her family members, her brother Sameer Mehrab said.

In a series of tweets, Karima Baloch’s brother said that Pakistani authorities deployed forces to escort the convoy carrying the deceased human rights activist’s body, to avoid the press and people who had come to Karachi city to pay their last tributes.

Yesterday, Sameer Mehrab had said that her sister Karima Baloch will be laid to rest in her hometown Tump in Balochistan on Monday (January 25).

“Her body is being flown to Karachi & will arrive at 3:30 AM on Sunday, January 24. Our family members will then take her body to Balochistan. The funeral will be held at midday,” he tweeted.


However, as soon as Karima’s body arrived at Karachi airport today, it was “hijacked” by Pakistani authorities even as the family members protested that her body should be handed over to them and that they don’t need any assistance and have arranged for transportation.

“Pakistani officials at Karachi airport informed my family that they are sending Karima Baloch’s body to Turbat via a chartered flight, against our will. This is unacceptable. We want them to hand over her body to us. We dont need their assistance. We’ve arrange transprt ourselves,” Sameer Baloch said in another tweet.

“At this point, my family is being escorted by Pakistani authorities via road through unknown routes out of Karachi. We don’t know where they are heading to. This is what hijacking of a body looks like,” he said in a series of tweets in the morning, keeping track of his sister’s body that was being forcibly escorted by Pakistani authorities.

As the convoy reached border of Balochistan, more forces joined, Sameer Mehrab said. “Previously we thought only living Baloch are prone to abductions. Here, this is a new law. Even a Baloch dead woman is not spared from abduction by Pakistan,” he tweeted.

“As Karima Baloch’s body is being illegally and forcefully escorted, all it proves is that a mighty nuclear Pakistan’s Islamic state is shaken by a dead body of a Baloch woman,” said the brother of late human rights activist who was found dead in Toronto in Canada in December, hours after she went missing in mysterious circumstances.

Human Rights for South Asia has also strongly condemned the “hijacking” of Karima’s dead body, terming it as a shameful act. “Strongly condemn the hijacking of human rights activist #KarimaBaloch’s dead body by Pakistani authorities. This is shameful and inhuman act,” the human rights body said in a tweet.

A vocal critic of the Pakistan government, Karima Baloch had actively worked to highlight human rights violations perpetrated upon people in Balochistan. Her death was condemned by human rights groups and world leaders while protests over her assassination still continue.

The prominent Baloch rights activist was last seen on December 20 in the Bay Street and Queens Quay West area in Toronto, at approximately 3 pm, according to The Balochistan Post. Hours later, she was found dead in mysterious circumstances.

This is yet another suspected political assassination carried out by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, which is silencing Baloch voices for freedom in Pakistan as well as across the world.

-ARK

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