Qandeel Baloch
'Cute, na?' Qandeel commented on this, by then five-years-old, picture of her.
This page, though already very comprehensive, is still being expanded and will continue to be till at least the end of July 2016. The Indpaedia team is scanning Qandeel's online posts for insights.
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Highlights
She was willing to strip for the Pakistani cricket team, if it beat India.
Life, indeed, was cheap.
She posted this picture of a Muslim [religious] cleric secretly ogling her (Qandeel’s) photographs
The Pakistani newspaper The Nation seems to have published the picture.
Translation: A woman, too, can rob a man of his honour. If you don’t believe this, ask Mufti Qavi.
‘Robbing of honour’ is a euphemism for rape.
Pakistan does not have a National Commission for Women, with quasi-judicial powers to summon. It has a National Commission on the Status of Women, though.
The exaggerated bosom jutting forward caricatures the third picture below.
Qandeel and Mufti Qavi, wearing his fur cap: and an expression of mock horror.
Someone who had as a child obviously been good at ‘Spot[ting] the difference’ (between two pictures), pointed out: “Mufti saab bhi tharki nikle [Mufti saab, too, turned out to be horny]… where is waistcoat of mufti in the second pic hmmmmm……”
True. Not only the cap, even the waistcoat was gone.
Some Pakistani girls appreciated Qandeel’s honesty.
The self-styled ‘QueenNaela Irene’ replied, ‘Ur getting naked that's what u are! Embarrassing’
Qandeel’s own caption for this photograph was: Poor booty dance...hotbomb #ass #assup #hotinstagram #hotass
The quote in red (bottom left) has Qandeel Baloch asking, ‘How m looking? Tell me how m looking?’
After that comic interlude, let us take a look at more serious issues.
Qandeel, her head chastely covered, announced her Nemat Khwani for Ramzan
Qandeel Baloch
Qandeel’s own caption for this photograph was: ‘Garmiyon ka garam toufa :D :* love you fans <3’ (A hot gift for the summers)
Men like Jalal Arya responded with comments like, ‘So hot’ (and worse comments)
Girls like PYari Behna (‘sweet sister’) fumed, ‘BeHya’ (shameless)
One Ahsan Ullah commented ‘Tu bi is tarha apna picture sher kar’ (You should share this kind of a picture of yourself’
Qandeel replied. ‘Main etni easy nahi hun ok’ (I am not that ‘easy,’ OK?)
The unfortunate implication of Qandeel's comment was that she was saying that her friend Sunny was 'easy.'
Qandeel’s bubble bath reveals only tiny slivers of her neck, shoulder and knee. Pakistani party dresses reveal more. And yet some Pakistanis wanted her 'reported' [to Facebook] for this.
Ms. Syeda Israiza yelped, ‘Edit kar kar mar jaaa' (Edit and re-edit this and then dieee!)
Shehzad Muhammad commented
Y did u crop that saloon girl
Coz she is pretty than you :p
Obviously, Qandeel was into promoting herself, not into nurturing competition.
Kisi #Surprise k qabil nahin ho tum log 😢 Ab isi se kam chalao 😂😜
‘You people are not fit to be given any surprises 😢 Therefore, you will have to make do with this. 😂😜
Women like Shabeena Hussain erupted: ‘Haramzadi gashti ki aulad hai [bastard woman! daughter of a whore!]... u shud b fukin ashamed u dumb fukin bitch u will burn in hell wa u want men's attention by doin dis well I'm sorry t say dey must b blind n stupid t like this post o comment because they will get gunnah u going t die wat u gna ansa allah shud atleast cover the fuk up u dirty ugli fukin whore!😡😡’ [Three red hot emoticons of anger-]
A screenshot from the song 'Alla Jaani man Janani Man ' الا جانی من جانانی من from the post-Taliban Afghan film Talaash (2009?) And Talaash was a normal film for family audiences.
Singer Aryan Khan and dancer Qandeel Baloch in the Pakistani pop video Ban (July 2016).
Qandeel Baloch’s gyrations that might attract a Ban include this …
Derriere jerking is not mainstream in Pakistan in 2016, though a few decades before film vamps did it
The Pakistani pop video Ban (July 2016) by singer Aryan Khan and dancer Qandeel Baloch.
The Punjabi pop video Ban (July 2016) by singer Aryan Khan and dancer Qandeel Baloch.
Qandeel Baloch, Pakistani model, killed by brother The Times of India TNN & Agencies | Jul 16, 2016
Qandeel Baloch was killed by her brother.
Baloch had been likened to Kim Kardashian.
She had been frequently posting bold pictures of her on social media sites
Early life
Fouzia (later Qandeel) was born on the 1st March, 1990 in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan
She was married to Ashiq Hussain from 2008 to 2010. They had a son, who was born in 2009 and was seven at the time of Qandeel's murder.
Her real name was Fouzia Azeem but she chose Qandeel Baloch as her nom de guerre after stepping into modelling.
One Russel Jan wrote on Facebook that Qandeel’s ‘mother was an [sic] dancer.’
And why did Qandeel, a Punjabi, choose the name Baloch? Jan said, ‘To bring some spice to the Indian people about Baloch people some son of bitches give her this sir name [sic]....’ True, Baloch does sound more majestic than a generic surname like Azeem. But Indians were only a tiny fraction of her followers. Why would she change her name for them?
Fouzia/ Qandeel was variously described as an actor and model. She saw herself as a guitar playing pop singer as well. However, just as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton were generally known to be 'famous for being famous,' Qandeel's main profession, according to Google, was that she was a 'YouTuber'
Qabdeel had 43,000 followers on Twitter and more than 700,000 on Facebook.
Qandeel was active in the public imagination for just around two years (2014-16) before her untimely murder on the 15th July, 2016.
Early careers: bus hostess, South Africa, Middle East
Qandeel’s Cinderella story: How a bus hostess from Shadun Lund became controversy queen in Karachi Haider Ali Sindhu, Daily Pakistan, June 23, 2016
MULTAN (Malik Azam) Qandeel Baloch/ Fouzia Azeem hails from one of the most backward areas of Dera Ghazi Khan, called Shah Sadar Din. [It is a tribal area.]
Back in 2003-04, when she was still in the eighth grade, she fell in love with a boy and they both decided to elope together. Unfortunately, the day Fouzia fled her home the boy she was in love with ditched her.
This betrayal marked a turning point in the model’s life who then decided to become completely self-reliant in life.
She joined a bus transport company as a hostess and braved the grim challenges of life. Back then, she was reportedly in touch with her family. However, she later decided to move on with her life and joined show business with a new name Qandeel Baloch.
In 2007, she went to South Africa to earn money for herself. She later worked in the Middle East and various European countries before opting to return back to Pakistan to work on her acting skills.
Qandeel now switches between Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to fuel her rising star. Reportedly, she is now in correspondence with her family and stays with her father when she is in Lahore.
Qandeel has four sibling brothers, one of them is a drug addict, while another one is employed by the Punjab Police. The third one earns his livelihood in Saudi Arabia while the fourth is still of school-going age.
The Baloch people were not amused
Fouzia Azeem's chosen pseudonym, Qandeel Baloch, did not amuse the Baloch people.
One Shahid Baloch wrote about Qandeel, ‘Qandeel baloch nai han aur please dobara baloch ka naam is na jurhna Q k baloch Alhamdullah izat dar hothi’ (Qandeel is not a Baloch and, please, she should stop associating the name Baloch with her own because the Baloch people, Allah be praised, are a respectable people [people with a sense of honour].’
The Express Tribune wrote on July 13, 2016, three days before Qandeel’s murder: Last month, Senior Civil Judge Khursheed Ahmad summoned model Qandeel Baloch to court at a hearing on a petition filed by a lawyer. Advocate Shahbaz Ali Khan Gurmani, the petitioner, said that Baloch had brought ‘shame’ to the Baloch race by adopting the surname. He said she had no ties to the Baloch race.
Separately, Gadai union council vice chairman Fayyaz Khan Leghari of Dera Ghazi Khan sent model Baloch a legal notice on Monday demanding that she apologise for ‘bringing shame’ to the Baloch race, stop using Baloch as her surname and pay him Rs50 million. “Otherwise, strict action will be taken against you”, says the legal notice (a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune).
Was Qandeel a Baloch, after all?
True, her given name was Fouzia Azeem, and not Qandeel Baloch.
True, in Pakistani society the name ‘Qandeel Baloch’ seemed to have a lineage, while Fouzia Azeem was merely a nice generic name that any South Asian Muslim (indeed, with different regional spellings, ny Muslim anywhere) parent could give their daughter.
But of all Pakistani ‘names with a lineage’ that Fouzia could choose from why did she select the surname Baloch? Could there be some atavism involved?
After her brother Waseem was arrested for her murder he told the police. “We are Baloch and as Baloch we cannot tolerate [Qandeel’s immodesty].”
This indicates that though Qandeel’s family lived in the Punjab—significantly in a tribal area that is more likely to host migrant communities—the family was of Baloch origin.
Profile
Owais Qarni, The Express Tribune published this on June 24, 2016, just three weeks before Qandeel’s murder.
Though she is reviled by many and frequently subjected to misogynist abuse online, Qandeel has won praise by a segment of youth for her forthright attitude.
On Valentine’s Day, she donned a plunging scarlet dress and posted a video message defying President Mamnoon Hussain, who had issued a stern warning against the “Western” holiday. “They can stop people from going out, but they can’t stop people from loving,” she declared in a Facebook video, going on to branding politicians “idiotic and disgusting”. The video was viewed more than 830,000 times, and garnered 7,000 likes in the first weeks.
Pakistan Today added
“Nothing is good in this society. This patriarchal society is bad,” Qandeel had said in a recent interview with Images.
In one of her last Facebook posts, Qandeel reiterated her unapologetic approach: “No matter how many times I will be pushed down under… I am a fighter, I will bounce back.”
“Qandeel Baloch [is an] inspiration to ladies who are treated badly… I know you will keep on hating, who cares?” wrote Qandeel, who often referred to herself as a “one-woman army”.
Indpaedia adds: Qandeel saw her fight as ideological, ‘I believe I am a modern day feminist. I believe in equality. I need not to choose what type of women should be. I don't think there is any need to label ourselves just for sake of society. I am just a women with free thoughts free mindset and I LOVE THE WAY I AM.
‘As a women we must stand up for ourselves..As a women we must stand up for each other...As a women we must stand up for justice’
She also lashed out at sexual hypocrisy and against people who watched her pictures by night but threatened her by day: 'Get lost tharki awam [horny society]'
Marriage revealed three days before her murder
Qandeel Baloch's ex-husband comes forward with startling claims: The Express Tribune wrote this on July 13, 2016, three days before Qandeel’s murder.
In an unexpected turn of events, a man claiming to be internet sensation Qandeel Baloch’s husband came forward live on television on Wednesday [July 13, 2016].
The event was shortly followed by Baloch admitting she was indeed married and even had a child from her marriage to the man.
“My husband used to beat me up,” she said while speaking to Express News
Baloch admitted she had a son with Hussain. However, she added, “He never told my child I am his mother. It was a forced marriage.”
Speaking to Express News, Hussain refuted Baloch’s claims and said it was a love marriage. “I still have letters which she wrote with her blood,” he said.
“She wanted a car and bungalow from me,” Hussain added.
“I never contacted Aashiq Hussain after the divorce,” Baloch said. “I took a divorce because I wanted to study further and work but I was forcibly married.”
“He tortured me day and night during the one year I was married to him,” Baloch said while speaking to The Express Tribune. “After a year, I ran away with my son and sought refuge in Darul Aman,” she continued. However, the social media sensation said her son fell sick and she could not afford treatment so she was forced to give his custody to Hussain.
“I will fight for my son now.”
The social media startlet aid she was married when she was 17 years old to a man hailing from Kot Addu.
First shot at fame
Qandeel shot to fame in Pakistan in 2014 after a video of her pouting for the camera and asking “How em looking?” went viral. (The picture is on this page.) (The Express Tribune, March 22, 2016)
Her Facebook page ‘crashes’
… as she promises to strip for cricket.
Facebook temporarily removes Qandeel Baloch’s official fan page, The Express Tribune, March 22, 2016
Qandeel Baloch’s death, of course, choked Facebook. However, almost four months before Facebook temporarily removed Qandeel Baloch’s entertaining fan page. She had over 400,000 followers on her Facebook page.
The Facebook page “Qandeel Baloch Official” redirected to the social media website’s home page indicating that her page has been officially taken down. However, it was restored soon.
It remains unclear why the page was removed, but a flurry of user reports may have triggered the action on Facebook’s part.
The move came days after the self-proclaimed model-singer-actor took social media by storm as she vowed to perform a “striptease” if the Pakistan cricket team won against arch rivals India at the Eden Gardens World T20 clash on March 19. “If Pakistan beats India in the match scheduled on March 18, I’ll strip dance for the country and will dedicate the dance to our captain Shahid Afridi,” she had said on her Facebook page.
Bigg Boss
In 2016 there was a buzz about Qandeel Baloch appearing on India’s Bigg Boss reality TV how. Qandeel Baloch was asked if she had filled the online form on the Colors website. She replied, “Why should I fill out a form? Those are for common people, not celebrities!”
She was right. It was Colors' privilege to have her on the show.
Politics/ A crush on Khan sahib
Imran Khan, Pakistani cricket player (born 1952) was this good looking, world beating cricket player, who joined politics to take a beating at the polls from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Qandeel’s admiration for Imran Khan, thirty-eight years her senior, was clearly apolitical. She gushed,
Ya Allaaah
Imran ko dekhkar sharam aa gayi 🙈
isshhhh..... ❤😛😛
(O Allah! When I saw Imran [please to note the first-name-basis familiarity] I started to blush. Isshhhh….)
Unbeknownst to Mr Imran Khan, from that moment onwards he was no longer alone. However, Qandeel made sure that his nemesis was duly notified.
With the hashtag #qandeelforik, she informed the Prime Minister, “Nawaz Sharif ! Ab Khan sahab akely nahi hain, un ka sath dene koi or bhi arha hai... Tumse larny, tumara BAAP arha hai !’ (Nawaz Sharif! Khan sahib [due decorum was observed this time] is no longer alone. Someone is coming to be by his side. And your FATHER [i.e. Mr Khan] is coming to fight you!) A day later, again with the hashtag #qandeelforik, Qandeel had a Disraeli-like analysis of the kind of people supporting her hero’s enemy, Nawaz Sharif, “Dunia ma bewaqoof log hoty hain, phir intehai bewaqoof log hoty hain, phir ullu k pathy hoty hain or phir 100ft ke deewaar hoti hai or phir Nawaz Sharif k supporters hoty hain 😂’
(In this world there are foolish people. Then there are extremely foolish people. Then there are absolute idiots. Then there is a wall that is a hundred feet [30m] high. And finally there are the supporters of Nawaz Sharif.)
Even Benjamin Disraeli (There are lies, damned lies, and statistics) would have been proud of such a profound summation.
In Qandeel’s untimely demise Mr Imran Khan’s PTI has lost what could have been an in-house philosopher.
The saint and the showgirl
The sources of this section include: Owais Qarni, The Express Tribune, July 17, 2016, Qandeel had started fasting, had come towards religious teachings: Mufti Qawi +
Fayyaz Hussain, Daily Pakistan June 20, 2016, ‘What really happened when Mufti Abdul Qavi broke his fast with Qandeel Baloch in a hotel?’ +
( Qandeel Baloch, Pakistani model, killed by brother The Times of India TNN & Agencies | Jul 16, 2016)
Isadora Duncan had the hots for the scholar George Bernard Shaw, Menka for the saint Vishwamitr and Mary Magdalene for the divine Lord Jesus. Through history, independent women with interesting personal lives have pursued (and, often, done in) divinity, saints and scholars. Maybe the girls sought out the reclusive men thinking that some of the older bearded men's goodness/ scholarship would erase some of their own complicated relationship statuses.
Instead the young ladies' oomph managed to soil the thitherto revered men.
Only Shaw could get away lightly because of his sharp, self-deprecating wit (‘What if our child has your brains and my looks?’). Vishwamitr succumbed, and sank. The gospel according to St Matthew tells us that the "disciples were indignant." The gospel according to St John adds that Judas was the one who carped the most. Could that be one reason why he betrayed Lord Jesus.
Why did they meet?
It was June 2016, the month of Ramzan, the month of fasts. Qandeel Baloch wrote on her Facebook page that she had Iftar [i.e. she broke her fast] with Mufti Qavi. It seems that the two were appearing on the Ramzan transmission of a TV channel. “We sat in the lobby and broke our fasts. Later, she asked if she could take some pictures with me,” Mufti explained.
Lord Jesus’ justification for Magdalene’s anointing him was that the poor will always exist, and can be helped whenever desired.
What was Mufti Abdul Qavi’s, when he met Qandeel Baloch in a hotel room?
Hers was that she wanted to learn more about her faith. Qavi said: She had first wanted to meet PTI chief Imran Khan and I said that I will arrange a meeting between her and Imran Khan. Mufti Qawi had been serving as PTI Punjab ulema wing before his scandal surfaced across social media.
He further added, “I have sympathy for Qandeel because she had started fasting and had come towards religious teachings. She was learning Islamic teachings from me and I had shared Quranic verses with her as she had complained of bad omens and evil eyes of jealous people.”
Qandeel's Facebook posts in the month before that meeting with Qavi include some Islamic quotes in Urdu. So, obviously, she did want to learn about Islam.
Mufti Abdul Quvi has claimed that it was Qandeel Baloch who had requested the meeting, not him. Talking to Dunya News, he said that Baloch had promised to observe the entire month of Ramazan fasting.
Yet, the Mufti was unable to tame the shutterbug in Qandeel and stood next to the social media sensation for a number of selfies.
However, Baloch has claimed that Mufti Abdul Quvi had put in the request to meet her at the hotel he was staying in.
“The Mufti said, ‘I want to see you before the Eid moon,'” added Qandeel.
The Mufti’s own relationship status
This is not the Mufti’s first run-in with a headline-grabbing Pakistani celebrity like Qandeel. The Mufti had earlier developed close ties with Veena Malik, after entering into a verbal argument with her on live television. The Mufti now claims to be one of the major influences behind Veena Malik’s Islamic “reformation”.
In the video that was uploaded on Qandeel’s Facebook account, Qawi is seen saying he would guide the starlet on religious matters and that she had agreed to become his student. That was his justification. The Mufti even let her wear his trademark fur cap for a photo op. Her photograph (seen on this page) wearing the cap went viral.
But the meeting itself went horribly wrong.
The Mufti proposes marriage
Qandeel claimed Mufti Qawi had asked about her choice of cigarette and drink which led her to think that “he would trap her.”
“This is why I took selfies with Mufti Sahab,” she said.
“He also said that you must forget Imran Khan as he is 65 years old and live with me… I am only 50 years old. We will not make public our nuptial agreement.”
Qavi confirmed some of this, saying, “I had convinced her to repent on her sins and asked her to come towards the right path. I had even offered her a marriage proposal in her new life
The Mufti-Qandeel acquaintance was older
The Dawn had the inside story.
It began with Neo
Qandeel and Mufti Qavi were first acquainted during a live interview on Neo TV's show Ajeeb Sa, hosted by Rana Matlub. While on air, Qavi declared his desire to visit Qandeel on his next trip to Karachi.
According to Qandeel, he made many attempts to make that happen.
"We were both on [Ajeeb Sa], him from Multan, me in Karachi and our host was in Lahore. You may have seen it. He said he would be in Karachi for the moon sighting and that it was possible we would meet. I said 'Ji mufti sahib, most welcome'," Qandeel shared with Images.
"He’s publicity-hungry. He took my number from the media organisation and contacted me, saying 'I promised I would meet you'. He said 'I’m coming on this date' and then sent me his flight PNR number. But on chand raat I was in Lahore for a modelling gig and couldn’t meet him." Special iftars
"He came to Karachi again, the second time for an iftar transmission. He texted his flight number again. I told him I will come to see you tomorrow or day after but I couldn’t go as I wasn’t well."
"The third time he came, he texted and said from Monday to Friday, I will be in Karachi as I am on Amir Liaquat’s iftar transmission. Then I called him. I apologised for not meeting him earlier. He asked me to come after iftari, but I said no, I will come in the afternoon."
"He texted first, then I called," Qandeel emphasised, adding, "I think this is why there is confusion [about who called whom] and he says I called him. I only called him for this reason."
A 'conditional' visit
Mufti Qavi clarifies that the texts Qandeel is referring to are standard messages he sends all his friends whenever he flies into town.
"She called me two days before Ramazan and said that her followers were asking if I would visit her. I said to her, 'Yes, tell them that I will come, but only on the condition that you will fast for the whole month'," says Mufti Qavi.
"I have a habit that whenever I am traveling to another city, I text all my friends that I’ll be coming to the city at this time through this flight. When I went to Karachi for Geo TV, I messaged all my friends in Karachi along with her. I have neither sent any other text to invite her or to set up a meeting, nor did I call her. She won’t have proof of any other message."
"After this text, she called me the next day, saying that she wanted to meet me. Then, she came to meet me. I had told her that I will be at Geo TV for iftar transmission, so if you come, then come between 1pm and 4pm."
Alone time
When their meeting did take place, Qandeel maintains that she was alone with him for the most part.
"We were alone in the room," says Qandeel. "I went there only with my driver. He had called a couple of people to make a video of him for social media. They were two men — one had a camera. First, they were in the lobby, then they came to the room. Then he got rid of them in five minutes. Lots of people knocked but he would get rid of them at the door."
Mufti Qavi, however, says they were alone for only a few minutes.
"There was a family from Multan, an official from interior Sindh who is our seniors’ mureed [devotee], a team with a camera, six or seven other people and Qandeel. I listened to each of them, she was also there and listening to them. I also listened to her. All people left one by one after which Qandeel said two or three things which I mentioned."
"When I went to do my wuzu [ablutions], Qandeel wore my hat. When I expressed my surprise, she said that she wore my hat for barkat [blessings] because she did not have a dupatta."
"What she did in the minute or two after that, all the pictures that she took are in front of you."
'I party a lot so...'
Qandeel talked about their meeting in more expansive terms.
"I thought there would be some betterment in [meeting him] for me. I party a lot, I thought it would be beneficial to me if I spent some time around someone who is religious," says Qandeel.
"He called me, I didn’t know what he was like. But when I met him, I saw how he was like. He was different in front of others than he was with me. He would put on an act around other people."
"You may have heard of his fatwa, he said that contract nikkahs are jaez [allowed] and he has only one malka but has done nikkah 17 times. He said he had heard I was not very well off, and then said he earns money and has a lot of land in Multan and even gave me a business card with his various titles on it. I still have this business card."
A kiss and a hug
Qandeel claims that the Mufti tried to get intimate with her during their meeting.
"[He tried to] kiss me and hug me. You know in showbiz, girls are sometimes bold so we are okay with it. I was laughing and telling him not to do it. He stopped then and said 'I know you can’t phasaofy [trap] a girl in the first meeting. As our relationship develops, we will become more open with each other'."
"He couldn’t control his emotions. He was very emotional and made many attempts to hug and kiss me. The sofa I was sitting on, he sat on it and tried to make out with me. Then he would stop when I asked him to stop. Then he’d try again. Then he started talking about romance. He told me he knows how to seduce a woman and said 'You have to do this, start from the ear and then...' Main ne bola wah Mufti sahib ko tau romance karna bhi ata hai [Wow, Mufti sahib knows how to romance]."
'Complete rubbish'
Mufti Qavi says all of this is false.
"I have nothing to do with the ‘fahashi’ she’s talking about. She left satisfied with her respect and dignity in place. She said she would visit Multan on the second day of Eid and meet my mother."
"A while after she left, I got phone calls from people saying they saw photos and videos on TV channels and that Qandeel had been saying something. At first I thought that whatever she’s saying, she will probably be saying the right thing. But then when I was told she said I was lying, then I said ‘Oh no, she has a loose character’. I don’t know if she’s doing this alone or under the influence of someone else."
According to Mufti Qavi, Qandeel is now asking for his forgiveness.
"I got her message asking for forgiveness for her mistakes. I’ve forgiven her and I’ve told her that if she has any issues in the future, she should talk to me instead of engaging in blame games."
Mufti Qavi was even open to meet her on Eid.
"People are always coming and going for taaweez or other reasons. If she comes, we are very open, anyone can come to see us."
Qandeel: Mufti Qavi is hopelessly in love with me
Talking to June 20, 2016 Pakistan Today on the telephone, Qandeel Baloch claimed that Mufti Qavi “is hopelessly in love with her”
“Mufti Qavi is the Qandeel Baloch of Maulvis,” Qandeel Baloch said. “I am hoping that Mufti Qavi will formally propose to me in our next meeting,” she said.
Mufti loses 3 job; both lose respect
Qawi was widely ridiculed when Qandeel uploaded her pictures with the Mufti, along with a video of herself with the preacher, wearing his hat and pouting.
“I have unveiled a man who was leading the people towards ignorance in the name of Islam,” Qandeel said. “I will continue to unveil this hypocrite face of religious clerics who are defaming our religion and country.”
Indpaedia adds: When Qandeel posted their picture together on her Facebook page, comments flew thick and fast, mainly about her trying to ‘derail Muslims’ and corrupt Moulvis (clerics). The moulvi [presumably, Mufti Qavi] too was condemned roundly.
Fatima Baloch wrote, ‘Is oRat ko bsss Fame Chaiye jis k liye yeh ab yeh Muslims ko b derail karhi hy or second is Molvi Ko tou goli Maardeni chaiye bullshit’ (This woman only wants fame. She is trying to derail the Muslims. Secondly, this Moulvi should be shot dead.’)
Lord Jesus had got away with mere murmurs in the ranks. The Mufti’s fate was worse than Vishwamitr’s. Mufti Qavi’s memberships of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee as well as the National Ulema Mushaikh Council were suspended for taking selfies with Qandeel Baloch. - The Mufti had been a member of the Markazi Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) for seven years. He tried to console himself about his loss, saying, ‘Now the Markazi Ruet-i-Hilal Committee is being disbanded. The meeting now is the last meeting.’
Then Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf suspended Mufti Qavi’s party membership. The great cricketer-turned-politician had not got his third wife by then and Qandeel Baloch had occasionally indicated that she wanted to fill that slot. She had expressed her desire many times to marry ex-cricketer and opposition politician Imran Khan.
How the Mufti must have wished that he had had Shaw’s gift of the gab, Khaya piya kuchh nahin. Gilas ki poori dookan toot gayi.
Worse was to follow.
Qandeel alleges threats from the Mufti
Owais Qarni, The Express Tribune June 24, 2016 adds: Days after controversial selfies and videos of Qandeel Baloch and Mufti Abdul Qawi went viral, the self-proclaimed model demanded the government provide her security, claiming she is receiving life threats from the cleric.
“I am getting life threatening phone calls from Mufti Abdul Qawi, my life is constantly in danger and it is the duty of the government to protect my life and to provide me with security,” Qandeel told The Express Tribune.
“I have decided to file an FIR if the situation persists.”
Talking to The Express Tribune over phone, the social media starlet said she had not apologised [to] Mufti Qawi.
And threats from others
She had received threats from her family to quit modeling and her provocative appearances on social media. Her brother had been threatening her over her Facebook posts and videos , said the police.
Three weeks before her death, she had written to the interior minister, the director general of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) and the senior superintendent of Islamabad asking them to provide security to her, Dawn reported.
She had said her life is in danger and that she is being threatened via calls on her mobile number and that she did not have security measures installed in her home, the paper said.
True Love
However, Qavi was genuinely smitten. After her murder he urged civil society activists to organise absentee funeral prayers in Multan for Qandeel.
Qawi had earlier to lead Qandeel’s funeral prayers and had arrived in Multan from Lahore especially for the purpose.
Did Qandeel’s ‘nudity’ cross the line?
After Qandeel’s unfortunate murder Mr Muhammad Yusuf from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir wrote on an online forum, ‘But she was taking us back to stone age when people were roaming around nude. How could it be called developed society. Nudity has no place in undeveloped states. Her murder is tragic.’
The definition of ‘nudity’ can vary from society to society. Therefore, the question to ask is whether Qandeel’s ‘nudity’ crossed the line by Pakistani standards.
What was the extent of Qandeel’s ‘nudity?’ She regaled people with her fair legs, her bare shoulders, a bit of her back and fairly generous amounts of cleavage. Nothing more.
Stone age nudity? No way. Indeed, nothing that Pakistani censors would not let children see in a Hollywood or Indian film screened in Pakistan.
However: i) Mtr. Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Pakistan’s Prime Minister and later one of the Prime Ministers of Pakistan herself wore, in the 1970s/ ’80s, skirts shorter than Qandeel could dare to. ii) Pakistani news anchor Reham, wife of Imran Khan, Pakistani cricket player, wore equally short skirts and and showed at least as much of her back. (Click the links to see the photographs.) iii) Pakistani actress and model Iman Ali has worn short-shorts. iv) The Society pages of Pakistan’s English language press show normal Pakistani women in glamorous clothes, showing some skin; v) Even Afghan actresses like Kiran, in post-Taliban films like Talaash, wear very short skirts. (See picture) Afghan actresses Roya Malik and Khatira Naubahar routinely show off their shoulders.
Qandeel did nothing more than that.
Even her video in a Jacuzzi made it clear that she was wearing a swimming costume.
Like many women who have to fend for themselves in the world with only their good looks and limited years of youth as their qualification, Qandeel was a tease. She pretended to reveal more than she actually did. Had she ‘revealed’ everything she would have lost her power. Her photographs were teaser trailers for the main show, which was meant for the husband/ boyfriend that she was constantly looking for, and not for the public. Take the ‘bubble bath’ picture on this page.
The only thing steamy about her pictures in a bubble bath (see alongside) was the steam itself. The only flesh we get to see are tiny slivers of her neck, shoulder and knee. None of this is scandalous by Pakistani (or even Talibanised Afghan) standards. Pakistani party dresses reveal more. And yet Ani Riaz begged fellow readers, ‘Report her all pages and groups so that usko or gunna na ho [so that she commits no more sins].....or Allah maghfiyat krey uski [and may Allah forgive her]...plzzzzzzzzz all uf u report this page .’
No one bayed for the blood of the Pakistani and even Afghan ladies in short dresses mentioned above perhaps because they did not post their own pictures on Twitter and Facebook and tease and even taunt their 'followers.'
Indpaedia would like to vindicate Qandeel’s stand and prove that she did not cross any lines even by Pakistani yardsticks. However, at present we cannot spare any of our team to assemble a page about cheesecake in Pakistani cinema, advertising and the society pages of Pakistan’s English language press in order to show that Qandeel did not show more skin than other glamorous Pakistani women. However, readers, especially Pakistani readers, who wish to send photographs and/ or additional information may do so as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information photographs and used will be gratefully acknowledged in your name.
Needling conservative Pakistan
Pakistani society did not kill Qandeel, but many wanted her dead
The first video I watched of Qandeel Baloch was shared by a friend on his Facebook wall. She was clad in a skimpy grey dress showing off her voluptuous curves. Swaying suggestively and looking straight into the camera she said,
---“I’m 99% sure you hate me but I’m a 100% sure not even my shoe gives a damn about it.”
In one fell swoop she not only fully asserted herself as a sexual being – a space denied to women in our society – but cocked a snook at everyone unwilling to acknowledge her agency…
Boys will be boys, but she who’s defiant – must be eliminated.
[Ms Ishrat Saleem concluded] She is my hero. Rest in power, Queen!
Babar Ali typified the reactions of vocal Pakistanis. He called Qandeel’s pictures, even those that merely showed naked arms) ‘a moment of big shame .. are we muslims? what image are we representing to our nation and children? These all types of bullshit activities should be banned and strict action should be taken by government and concerned authorities. and if still anyone wants to show her nudity so she should be thrown out of Pakistan permanently.’
Pakistani men were divided about Qandeel. Many agreed with Babar that Qandeel was undermining Islam. defaming the Baloch people and corrupting the Pakistanis.
However, Yasir Hussain represented ten to twenty per cent of Qandeel’s followers when he said, “Buddy, you curse her but also ‘Like’ her page. Can't you people understand that it is her life? She has to enter her own grave. Why do you people soil your tongues and graves by needlessly abusing her.’ (Yr is ko galian b dety ho or page b like kia hua hai ni samjh ati ap logon ki b us ki apni life or us ny apni qabar main jana hai tum log avain galian dy k apni zuban or qabar gandi kr rhy ho...)
After Qandeel’s death it is being said that many modern Pakistani women drew courage from her boldness. However, they don’t seem to have come to her defence as openly.
As happens even in more sexually liberated societies [take Taylor Swift’s You belong to me], women hate the girl with stilletos and short skirts with far greater intensity than prudish, patriarchal men might.
Mariya Sayyed was one of the many women who wanted to see Qandeel dead.
Qandeel once wrote, revealing the yearnings of a lonely heart, ‘dil karta hai k k k ____?’ (The heart desires that that that…)
Mariya Sayyed filled in the blanks, ‘… that you should meet with an accident, or that you should jump off a roof, or that someone might poison you, or, at least, that you commit suicide.’ (k tera accident ho jaye, ya tu chhat se chhalaang laga de, ya tujhe koi zaher khilade, ya km se km tu khushi se khudkushi kr le)
Pakistan has had horny female celebrities (like the Empress of Melodies) since its inception in 1947. Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Pakistan’s Prime Minister and later one of the Prime Ministers of Pakistan herself wore skirts shorter than Qandeel could dare to. (Click link to see photograph.)
Women from the Pakistani elite get photographed at parties in glamorous clothes for Pakistan’s The Friday Times.
However, in the year 2016, after decades of Islamisation, middle- and lower- middle class Pakistan, which wrote Romanised Urdu and not English, was not ready for Qandeel’s in-your-face sexuality.
That is why they wanted her banished from Pakistan—or dead.
The latter happened.
Qandeel, on her part, left no stone unturned to needle Pakistan.
And hatred against Qandeel built up
Hours after Qandeel’s murder ‘Sg Pm’ wrote on her Facebook page, ‘No killing ever made me such happy.hats off to the brother. Wish i could see her dying in live video. Tawdry attention whore #Rot_in_hell_bitch #righteous_kill’
The ratio of people with Muslim-sounding names who agreed with ‘Sg Pm’ and disagreed with him was 2 in his favour, one against him.
But this hatred had been building up.
Frank about her sexual desires On 25 May 2016, under the hashtag #Qandeel #Feeling #Hot, she wrote on Facebook something that most middle class girls even in supposedly permissive western socities would not, ‘boys give me surprises now long and fat surprises... ;)’
Reactions were appropriately raunchy. Ashish Mullick commented ‘Please try cricketer Mohammed Irfan... If you survive, you'll be in the Guinness Book of World Records 😉😉😉’
Laiba Abbasi advised #QandeelBaloch ‘You have a very bright future in porn industry...Please don't waste ur talent and time in Pakistan 😂😂😂 😂😂😂’
Insensitive to religious occasions Three days earlier, on the auspicious Shab e Barat day she had posted a picture [reproduced here] of her parted, yearning lips, with the caption, ‘aa dil kar raha hai kkkkkk ____? ‘ (Aah! My heart desires thatttttt…)
Once again reactions were hostile. Numan Ali wrote, ‘sharm kro #shab-E-#Barat hay.. aj tu bura se bura muslim b gunah nbi krta....tum pta nhi kis dheet meti ki bani hui hoo....idiot...’ (You should be ashamed of yourself. Today is Shab e Barat. Today even bad Muslims don’t commit sins. What obstinate, thick-skinned genes are you made of? Idiot.) Iqra Ahmed advised her, ‘yar khuda ka khauf kro kitni ghtya tareen lrki ho tm shab e barat ka koi tw lehaz kro’ (Friend, be afraid of God. Even the most fallen of women have some regard for Shab e Barat.)
Qandeel Baloch angered followers by posting on a Friday, a day auspicious to the Muslims, a picture [used on this page] of her skirt slipping upwards to reveal her legs.
Babuo Shah pleaded with her, ‘Oohoo mst aaj juma ka din hay is din 50thousand logo ko mafi multi hay ? Thora sharam karuo ak na ak din Allah ki pakar hogi phr koi nhn bachaya ga abhe bhe waqt hay’ (Madam, today is Friday. On this day fifty thousand people are forgiven. Have some sense of shame. One day you will be in No one will be able to …It is still not too late to repent.)
Tensions within Pakistan, to the effect that Qandeel was corrupting the society, found expression everywhere. Imtiaz Hussain wrote, ‘Is ko b shayad kisi ne chora ha pakistan par ak dum nangi hogai to sesor board band laga de ga ye slow poition de rahi ha takay pabandi na lagay rasta bana rahi ha industry k liye nayi larkiyon k liye’ (Someone has let her loose to descend totally naked on Pakistan. The censor board should ban her. She is administering the posion slowly so that restrictions are not imposed on her. She is blazing the path for a new breed of [similarly corrupted] girls to enter the [film] industry.)
Music video released a day after Edhi’s death Six days before her murder, on 9 July 2016, Qandeel posted her latest—and fairly raunchy—music video (see pictures). Pakistan’s greatest son, the philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, had died only the day before and the Ramzan fasts had ended three days before.
One Muneeza Khan used this to blast Qandeel, ‘Idher laug EidhiSab ki wafat ka saug mana rahe hain [Here people are mourning the demise of Edhi saheb] and this woman is showing off her body in this pathetic song. I dont hate u but what is the point of doing all this right after ramzan?’
A very large number of Facebook users agreed with Muneeza Khan’s views.
Tariq Ajmal added, ‘Theres a line between porn type musical videos and bollywood style dance stuff. What were they thinking? … And qandeel did whats expected. We need to stop this thinking that vulgarity and open mindness or educated thoughtfulness are the same. Even animals are covered with hair. And look at these two.’
With hindsight even we liberals wonder, ‘What were they thinking?’ Pakistan was clearly not ready for such a blatant display of female sexuality.
Taunting the Mufti (A Mufti is the highest-ranking Islamic cleric of a region; the head of the regional ifta, which provides guidance in matters of religion) Three weeks before her murder Qandeel created a video in which she sent a ‘poisonous message to the Mufti [Mufti ko Zehreela Peghaam] hahahhahahaha it will give u cancer lolzzz’
Through that coquettish video Qandeel, homorously, took on the religious establishment.
Eid ul Fitr (6 July 2016) Qandeel wished all her followers, ‘Eid Mubarak.’ However, she got a sermon in return.
Muhammad Fiaz said, ‘Eid mubarak to you. qandeel u should contact with your family also. it may they forgive u and u become a first model of our area.’
This showed that there were serious tensions within her family regarding her modelling and that some of them were not in contact with her.
#loveforvirat In Pakistan and India the worst thing that a woman can do is to have (or want to have) a relationship with a man from The Other Country. And Qandeel made this mistake by repeatedly publicising her ‘love for [the Indian cricketing hero] virat [Kohli]’
In her post ‘I want a boyfriend who will…’ she pointedly used the hashtag #loveforvirat. She posted a picture [seen on this page] exposing the sides of her breasts for Virat. And many similar posts.
This irritated men like Kiramat Khan, who asked ‘Pakistan my log kam hey keya’ (Is there a shortage of men in Pakistan?), followed by a string of vulgarities.
Thus spake Qandeel Baloch
The Express Tribune July 16, 2016
10 powerful quotes by Qandeel Baloch No matter how much we criticise her, QB, has played a role to bring a change in our society.
Until the news of her tragic death at the hands of her brother, Qandeel Baloch largely remained a punch line for many. She is now being posthumously honoured and remembered for her bravery in her attempt to shatter chauvinisms and achieve sexual liberty.
Often, her statements about Imran Khan, Shahid Afridi and Maulana Qavi were deemed controversial, her offer to strip in celebration of a sporting win and her revealing attire was considered vulgar and her question “how am looking?” truly became a social media sensation.
What’s important to remember is that she was liberated even though it came with a price.
Here are 10 empowering quotes by Qandeel Baloch:
1. “I am an inspiration to those ladies who are treated badly by society. I will keep on achieving and I know you will keep on hating.”
2. “No matter how many times I will be pushed down under but I am fighter I will bounce back. Qandeel Baloch is ‘One Women Army’.”
3. “At least international media can see how I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t want to come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices.”
4. “I want to give those girls a positive message who have been forcefully married, who continue to sacrifice.”
5. “I will fight for right. I will not give up. I will reach my goal and absolutely nothing will stop me.”
6. “Love me or hate me both are in my favour. If you love me I will always be in your heart and if you hate me I will be in your mind.”
7. “As a woman, we must stand up for ourselves. As a woman, we must stand up for each other.”
8. “If you have a strong will power, definitely, nothing can let you go down.”
9. “It’s time to bring a change because the world is changing. Let’s open our minds and live in present.”
10. “I am a modern day feminist. I believe in equality. I need not to choose what type of women should be. I don’t think there is any need to label ourselves just for sake of society.”
Qandeel once wrote: #Shameless ? maybe yes i am.
But let me share a concrete fact with you my friend –
"Shame is just a state of mind which changes place to place, time to time depending on the situations"
and something that changes with time is not worth following!
Yes you can disagree woth [sic] me but your disagreement will not change the bitter truth! :)
Rest in peace, Qandeel.
Nods to Islam
As we have seen on this page, Qandeel was quite unmindful of religious sensitivities even on auspicious days like Fridays and the Shab e Barat.
However, in the weeks leading to her controversial meeting with Mufti Qavi, ostensibly to learn about Islam, Qandeel had, indeed, started paying lip service—even drawing close—to Islam. A few weeks before the advent of the holy month of Ramzan she uploaded a poster [see picture] of herself, her head chastely covered. Its legend read, ‘Model and singer Qandeel Baloch will perform nemat khwani in the month of Ramzan ul Mubarak.’
Reactions ranged from the welcoming (‘at long last’) to disbelief.
Usama Bhatti wrote, ‘Behuda aurat door e rahy.. but han agr yh change hona chahti hai to phr lazmi kry or agr isny ramzan k bad yh beghairti phr se shuru krni to plz qandeel avoid this.. respect your religion.’ (Stay away, you vulgar woman. But, yes, if this woman wants to change then it is obligatory that she does not resume her impure activities after Ramzan.)
Malana Khan added, ‘Hahahaha may wait karungi tumhare muu se kuch to acha sunne ko milega 😍 hayeee naat parhogi tum MASHALLAH bari hogai ho samjhdar hogai ho 😍 😂’ (Hahahaha! I am going to wait for this! I will get to hear something nice! Awww, you will recite naats [poems in praise of Prophet Muhammad]! God is bounteous! The little girl has grown up and become wise)
Some attributed Qandeel’s turn towards religion to her supposed rejection by the Indian film industry. Hi Jaab [‘the chastely clad one’] commented, ‘Shyd to smjh gye hy k Bolly tery mizzaaaj ki cheez nhi hy.. Wahan pagal log nhi kam krty tu teri gunjaish nhi wahan..’ (You seem to have realised that the Indian film industry does not suit your temperament. The people who work there are mad. There is no room for you there.’
(There had been reports in Pakistan that Qandeel was to play the female lead opposite Indian kissing star Emran Hashmi in an Indian film. Pakistanis dread their women joining the relatively more sexualised Indian film industry and exposing their bodies to all and sundry, especially to Indians.)
Later that day, Qandeel posted a list of the important sayings of Prophets Muhammad, peace be on him (See picture).
Her followers welcomed this change in Qandeel. Nouman Zaheer wrote, ‘Hum in mokoo per zaror Dua kare gy k Allah apko insan bana dy Hadayat dy...Ameen’ (On such occasions we will pray that Allah gives you instructions [that will] make a human out of you.)
However, as Ramzan drew close to an end Qandeel’s new found religiosity did not ebb. She posted a message that basically said, ‘O Allah! Give us a pardon [absolution] after which we do not sin, instructions after which we do not go astray…’
This seeking of God’s pardon was welcomed by her followers.
However, fourteen days later Qandeel was killed.
Qandeel’s inclination towards religion in her last days seems to have been genuine. However, she clearly wanted her occasional spurts of religiosity to carry on side by side with the sexualised aspect of her life. She continued to blaspheme the Mufti and her raunchy video Ban was launched a few days after the end of Ramzan. The three above mentioned Islamic messages were interspersed with plenty of cleavage and skinshow by Qandeel.
Like most modern South Asians, she wanted to have it both ways.
The murder
Pakistan's social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was killed allegedly by her brother in Multan in Punjab province, becoming the latest victim of "honour killings" that plague the country.
The 26-year-old actor-cum-model was killed in central district of Multan on Friday 15 July 2016 night, police said.
Police said apparently she was killed by her brother named Wasim, who has fled after the incident.
Waseem stated that he had drugged Qandeel by the same medicines his father used for sleep. He also revealed that he had come thrice before with the intention of murdering his sister but every time his parents sent him off by saying that she was not at home.
That Waseem was a drug addict had been reported by the Pakistani press many days before the murder. He is said to have stolen Qandeel's goods after killing her.
"She was suffocated to death by strangulation. It seems to be a case of honour killing but we are investigating it," district police chief Azhar Akram said.
Qandeel’s body was kept in the mortuary of Multan’s Nishtar Hospital for more than 12 hours as her parents did not claim it, fearing their sons would kill them also, according to local police.
Since nobody from the family had come to claim the body, police decided to arrange a funeral. The body was shifted to Shah Saddurddin, a tribal area of Dera Ghazi Khan district, to which Qandeel belonged, Sunday morning. Thousands of people, including rights campaigners from across south Punjab, attended the funeral. She was laid to rest at her ancestral graveyard.
Brother Waseem arrested
Pakistan Today reported
Police late on 16 July 2016 [less than a day after the murder] announced they had arrested Muhammad Waseem, the suspected murderer of social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch.
Waseem said that he had killed his sister for posting controversial pictures and videos on Facebook.
“She was bringing disrepute to our family’s honour and I could not tolerate it any further. I killed her around 11.30pm on Friday night when everyone else had gone to bed. My brother is not involved in the murder,” said the murderer before being taken away by the police.
25-year-old Muhammad Waseem said. “My friends used to taunt me by sharing her risqué videos and pictures on my cellphone… Girls are supposed to stay at home and honour family traditions, but she defied them.” He added, “Though I’m a drug addict, I murdered her in my senses…I had made up my mind to kill her when her controversial video with Mufti Abdul Qavi went viral on social media.”
Qandeel was in Multan to visit her parents as her father had been unwell, and spent Eid with her family.
Qandeel’s father Azeem stated in the First Information Report to the police that his sons Aslam Shaheen and Waseem were responsible for their sister’s death. The complainant further said that his sons killed Qandeel for her money.
Investigations
By Owais Qarni / Tariq Ismaeel, The Express Tribune July 19, 2016
Officer probing Qandeel’s murder suspended (The Express Tribune, July 20, 2016)
SHO Muzaffarabad police station revealed that the father of Qandeel Baloch had changed his statement thrice. The autopsy report had also contradicted the time of murder, as stated by her parents in the FIR. The report made by a three members of the panel in Multan’s Nishtar Hospital stated that the murder was comitted between 9pm-10 pm on Friday and the body was reported to Rescue 1122 on Saturday morning around 11 am. However, the parents claimed that their son had murdered Qandeel around 2am to 3am in the morning.
On Monday, the mother of Qandeel Boloch accused Qavi of instigating his sons – Shahid, Aashiq and Waseem – against Qandeel.
Police have added Section 311 in the FIR after initial investigations. This mean inclusion of the state in the investigation as an applicant and it will not let in the future the major applicant Muhammad Azeem to forgive his son Muhammad Waseem, who is major accused in the case.
A liitle more than three days after the murder, Homicide Unit (in-charge) Inspector Mr Ilyas Haider, who was doing ground investigation into the murder case was ‘suspended’ for poor investigation and negligence.
Inspector Ms Attiya Jafri replaced him. She is famous for conducting transparent investigations into murder, rape and acid attack cases. Sources in the police told The Express Tribune that Haider was found to be ‘soft’ on Mufti Abdul Qavi and was seen ‘favouring’ him.
Police took Qandeel’s sisters-in-law into custody following the arrest of Wasim, his brother.
The police then started looking for Wasim’s accomplices. “We believe that several of his friends and relatives were also involved in the murder. We are also looking for his relatives Haq Nawaz, Aslam and several others for inciting him. Apparently a taxi driver, Basit, was also part of the conspiracy,” an officer said.
Several families related to the deceased left the village for other areas fearing arrest.
'Cousin, not brother, killed Qandeel'
Jul 31 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi) ` '
Qandeel Baloch was strangled to death by her cousin and not by her brother, according to a polygraph test. According to the test, it was her cousin Haq Nawaz, not Waseem, who had strangled the social media star to death on July 15. The test found Waseem was holding the hands and feet of the slain model at the time of murder while Haq Nawaz strangled her, Geonews reported.
Court frees brother
Pakistan court frees brother convicted of ‘honour killing’ of social media star / REUTERS / 14 Feb 2022
A Pakistani appeals court on Monday acquitted the brother of social media star Qandeel Baloch of her murder, a 2016 killing that sparked national outrage and changes in laws covering so-called “honour killings”. Muhammad Waseem had appealed against his 2019 murder conviction. A court in Multan struck down the conviction after witnesses retracted their testimony, defence lawyer Sardar Mehboob said. A government prosecutor confirmed the acquittal. His mother had also submitted a statement in the court that she had pardoned him, he added. It was not clear whether the court considered the mother’s statement in its decision. The main amendment in laws dealing with “honour killings” inPakistan was that no one could be set free based solely on a pardon by a family member. Waseem had admitted in a 2016 that he strangled his 26-year-old sister due to her social media activities. Baloch had posted Facebook posts in which she spoke of trying to change “the typical orthodox mindset” of people in Pakistan. She faced frequent abuse, death threats.
