QUETTA: The Foreign Office has requested the Canadian government to conduct an investigation into Karima Baloch’s death and sought its inquiry report, said Adviser to Balochistan Chief Minister on Information and Parliamentary Secretary Bushra Rind on Friday.

While expressing grief over the tragic death of Ms Baloch, former chairperson of BSO Azad, in Canada, Ms Rind said it was the Canadian government’s responsibility to provide protection to the Pakistani citizen as she had taken political asylum there.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Shaina Khan and other women leaders, Ms Rind disclosed that the Canadian police had arrested two suspects in connection with the case. The suspects had been shifted to an unknown place for interrogation, she added, while requesting the authorities concerned to share the inquiry report with Pakistan.

CM’s adviser says BAP will take part in Senate polls

She also expressed the hope that justice would be done.

The adviser said the Balochistan government through Islamabad had contacted the Canadian government to bring her body back. “We are also in contact with the family of the deceased and the government will extend all help and cooperation to the family in returning of Karima’s body,” Ms Rind said.

On the occasion, Ms Rind also criticised the politics of the 11-party opposition alliance and said they were deceiving the people who had rejected them as their politics was exposed. She described the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) plan of resigning from the assemblies as a “drama to deceive people”.

“If they are serious about their decision, then why are they not submitting resignations to the speaker and are waiting for Senate elections?” Ms Rind questioned and added they knew that if they resigned from the assemblies they could not win the election as people had rejected their politics.

She said the leaders of the PDM through such politics only wanted to protect their ill-gotten money. She said that Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) would fully take part in the upcoming Senate election. In this regard, several decisions were taken at a recent meeting of the party, which was chaired by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan.

Referring to Christmas and the birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the adviser said that both days had great importance. It was the Quaid’s leadership that resulted in the creation of Pakistan in which non-Muslims were enjoying religious, political and social freedom. In this connection, she said, the role of armed forces of Pakistan could not be forgotten.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2020