TORONTO: A Pakistani human rights activist living in Canada who went missing over the weekend has been found dead, Toronto Police said on Tuesday, adding that they believed her death to be a non-criminal matter.

Karima Mehrab, who hailed from Balochistan province and was also known as Karima Baloch, went missing on Sunday in Toronto’s downtown waterfront area.

Police said her body was found on Monday.

Karima was a prominent student organiser who campaigned for Balochistan’s rights and later moved to Canada amid threats. She was named one of the BBC’s 100 inspirational and influential women of 2016.

Toronto police offered few details about her death. Mike Butt, a detective, said by phone: “It has been deemed a non-criminal incident.”

Amnesty International South Asia tweeted that her death was shocking and should be “effectively investigated”, while the Human Rights Council of Balochistan requested the Canadian government to look into the matter.

Earlier this year, Sajid Hussain, a Balochistan journalist and activist living in exile in Sweden, was found drowned there, according to media reports.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2020