"Qandeel Baloch killed by brother in Multan": police

[hadi123]

Cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi appeared before a sessions court in Multan for the first time in connection with the Qandeel Baloch murder case on Tuesday.

Mufti Qavi, who is currently on a pre-arrest bail, appeared in the court of District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry Ameer Ahmad Khan.

Talking to reporters while arriving at the court, Mufti Qavi said that he has presented himself in the court as per orders.

"We will accept whatever decision the judiciary announces," he said.

As the hearing started, the cleric's counsel requested the court to adjourn the hearing until tomorrow so that he could prepare his arguments. The judge accepted his request and adjourned the hearing until tomorrow (Wednesday).

The judge also ordered police to produce Qandeel's brother, Waseem, and her cousin, Haq Nawaz, before the court in the next hearing. Waseem and Nawaz were indicted in Qandeel murder case by a court last year, however, they denied killing her.

Police had included Mufti Qavi's name as a suspect in the murder case of the social media celebrity on the request of her father, Muhammad Azeem, the complainant in the case, who in a statement before the police suspected the cleric's possible role in her murder.

Judge Ameer Ahmad Khan last week granted pre-arrest bail to Mufti Qavi shortly after a trial court issued his non-bailable arrest warrants in the Qandeel murder case.

Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Pervaiz Khan had issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Mufti Qavi when the investigation officer informed the court that he was not cooperating with police in investigation.

The judge expressed had his displeasure over the slow pace of trial by police who claimed that Mufti Qavi’s lack of cooperation was the cause of delay.

Soon after the non-bailable warrants were issued, the counsel for Mufti Qavi had filed a pre-arrest bail application and the judge granted bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000.


Model and actress Qandeel Baloch was found strangled to death in her house in Multan's Karimabad area on July 16, 2016. Her father claimed that she was killed by her younger brother, Waseem, in the name of honour.

Her brother Waseem was arrested by police in Dera Ghazi Khan later that night and confessed to killing her in the name of 'honour'. Accompanied by police at a press conference, Waseem alleged to have drugged and strangled her, saying that she "brought dishonour to the Baloch name" due to her risque videos and statements posted on social media.

"There are other issues as well... Like the maulvi issue," he said, in an apparent reference to a controversy last year about Qandeel's selfies with Mufti Qavi.

Qavi's selfies with Qandeel went viral on social media in 2016, causing a nationwide furore, after which the cleric's membership of the Ruet-i-Hilal committee and the National Ulema Mushaikh Council was suspended.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1364391/m...urt-in-qandeel-murder-case-for-the-first-time

 

[hadi123]

Social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch’s father has said that his daughter was killed for Mufti Abdul Qavi’s vice.

During hearing at the Mulatan District and Sessions court, Muhammad Azeem alleged that Qandeel Baloch was killed on Mufti Abdul Qavi’s orders, Express News reported.

The self-proclaimed actress and model Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her own brother Waseem and a cousin in the name of honour in July last year. Waseem had later confessed to his crime before the police and the media.

The father further alleged that Mufti Abdul Qavi had offered him [Azeem] money to not drop charges against him.

“I will never forgive Mufti Abdul Qavi and want her [Baloch’s] murderers to be brought to justice,” he said.

Former member of the moon-sighting committee Mufti Abdul Qavi was arrested last week after a court rejected extension in his pre-arrest bail.

The police had included Qavi’s name as a suspect in the case at the request of Qandeel’s father, Muhammad Azeem, who in a statement before the police suspected the cleric’s possible role in the murder that took place weeks after Qandeel posted her selfies and videos with Qavi on social media.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1545105/1-father-alleges-qandeel-baloch-killed-mufti-qavis-orders/

 

[MenInG]

MULTAN: The primary suspect in the Qandeel Baloch murder case submitted a petition on Wednesday to request his state-provided lawyer be changed.

Mohammad Waseem, the primary suspect, was presented in court alongside the other accused, including Haq Nawaz, Zafar, Abdul Basit, and Mufti Abdul Qavi.

Qandeel Baloch murder case: Multan court adjourns witness testimony hearing till June 12

On the other hand, the cross-questioning of Aslam Shaheen, another suspect in the Qandeel Baloch murder case, was completed during a hearing.

The district and sessions judge subsequently adjourned the hearing till June 25.

Earlier, on June 3, 2019, a request of exemption from appearance had been presented on behalf of the witnesses, including Sub-Inspector (SI) of police Mohammad Saeed, Constable Kashif, and Ayaz. The officers were unable to attend due to special duties.

Social media celebrity and model Qandeel Baloch was honour-killed on July 15, 2016, in Multan's Muzaffarabad town.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/240846-qa...ect-petitions-to-change-state-provided-lawyer

 

[Abdullah719]

Qandeel Baloch's parents announce pardon for sons, urge court to wrap up murder case

The parents of social media star Qandeel Baloch — who was murdered allegedly by her brothers — on Wednesday submitted an affidavit in a Multan court, saying they have forgiven the killers and the case against their sons should be thrown out.

Baloch's brother Waseem had strangled her to death in the name of "honour" at their house in 2016. He later confessed to have killed her because she allegedly “brought dishonour to the Baloch name” with her risque videos and statements posted on social media. Her brother Aslam Shaheen was also nominated in the case.

In the affidavit, submitted in a model court in Multan, Baloch's parents stated that they have forgiven her alleged murderers and asked the court to acquit them.

The affidavit said that the Anti-Honour Killing Laws (Criminal Amendment Bill) 2015 — which prevents killers from walking free after being pardoned by the victim's family — was passed months after Baloch was murdered and, therefore, cannot be applied to her case.

The legislation mandates life imprisonment for honour killings, but whether a murder can be defined as a crime of honour is left to the judge's discretion.

The affidavit also said that the allegations that Baloch was killed for "honour" were "contrary to facts" and asked the court to acquit the suspects under Section 345 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The court, in response, summoned the lawyers representing the prosecution in the murder case as well as the counsel for Baloch's parents.

The slain social media star's parents had once before also requested the court to wrap up the murder case, saying they had forgiven both their sons, but their appeal was dismissed with the judge citing the anti-honour killing law.

After the law was passed in October 2016, Baloch's parents had initially vowed not to forgive the alleged murderers.

“There is no pardon from our side,” Baloch’s father Mohammad Azeem had told AFP and called for his son and the three co-accused to be punished “at the earliest”.

“They should get life imprisonment or death — I will feel happy,” he had said at the time.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1500816/q...on-for-sons-urge-court-to-wrap-up-murder-case

 

[Firebat]

Multan court rejects request by Qandeel Baloch's parents to pardon her killers

A trial court in Multan on Thursday rejected a request by the parents of slain social media star Qandeel Baloch to pardon her brothers, who are accused of killing her.

Baloch's brother Waseem had strangled her to death in the name of “honour” at their house in 2016. He later confessed to have killed her because she allegedly “brought dishonour to the Baloch name” with her risque videos and statements posted on social media. Her brother Aslam Shaheen was also nominated in the case.

The social media celebrity's parents, Muhammad Azeem and Anwar Bibi, had on Wednesday submitted an affidavit in the local trial court, saying they had forgiven the killers and the case against their sons should be thrown out.

They had argued that since the Anti-Honour Killing Laws (Criminal Amendment Bill), 2015 — which bars pardoning killers in such cases — was passed several months after the murder of their daughter, it could not be applied in this case.

As the affidavit was taken up by the model court today, Baloch's parents informed District and Sessions Judge Imran Shafi that they had forgiven their sons "in the name of Allah".

The judge asked them whether they were only pardoning their sons and not all the accused in the murder case, to which the parents responded in affirmative.

Judge Shafi informed them that he would decide their request after examining whether law grants them the right to pardon the killers or not.

"Do you realise what impact your pardon will have on the other accused in the case?" the judge went on to ask, addressing Baloch's parents.

The court later dismissed Baloch's parents' application to pardon their sons, with the judge saying the case regarding murder in the name of 'honour' would be decided once the testimonies of all witnesses have been recorded.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1501024/m...qandeel-balochs-parents-to-pardon-her-killers

 

[MenInG]

The brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch has been jailed for life, three years after her murder.

Waseem confessed to strangling Ms Baloch, 26, in July 2016. At the time, he said it was because the star had brought shame on the family.

He was reported to be upset by pictures she had uploaded to social media.

On Friday, a court acquitted six other men charged in connection with the killing, including religious scholar, Mufti Abdul Qavi.

Ms Baloch's family had initially pointed the finger at the mufti, saying he had instigated the murder after he was criticised for taking selfies with the social media star a month before her death.

He has always denied any involvement.

Her brother Waseem is able to appeal against the sentence. His lawyer, Sardar Mehmood, told news agency AFP that he hoped Waseem Baloch would be "acquitted by a high court".

Another brother, Arif, has been declared a fugitive in relation to Ms Baloch's death, the court said.

What was the reaction?
At the court in Multan, there were scenes of celebration over the acquittals - and tears over the conviction.

Photos shared on social media show Mufti Qavi being showered in rose petals as he left court, his supporters overjoyed with the verdict.

Meanwhile, Ms Baloch's mother wept tears for her son.

"He is innocent," Anwar Mai told reporters before the sentence was handed down. She and her husband tried to free Waseem last month, saying they forgave their son for killing their daughter.

Online, there was anger for Ms Baloch. Many described their reaction to the verdict as "bittersweet", and expressed fear that - despite the conviction - things may not change for women in Pakistan.

"It took three years to get a judgement for her brother," Sanam Maher - the author of a book on Ms Qandeel - tweeted.

"I wonder how long it will take us to recognise that we shouldn't let ourselves off the hook, that our social structure is rotten & works against people like #Qandeel who wish to make something of themselves on their own terms," she added.

Qandeel Baloch made headlines long before her murder shocked the country. Once, she offered on Facebook to "strip for the nation" if Pakistan beat India in cricket. Then she posted selfies with a known cleric, Mufti Abdul Qavi, in styles that conveyed intimacy.

So when she was killed, many - including her family - pointed fingers at Mufti Qavi. This was despite Qandeel's brother admitting on camera that he did it all by himself.

He did retract that statement during the trial - saying it was given under duress - which may be the reason he avoided capital punishment. He can appeal the judgment on the same ground.

But while there may be a sense of relief among quarters sensitive to human and women's rights, the twists and turns that afflicted Qandeel's parents are a sad reflection of life in rural Pakistan.

Who was Qandeel Baloch?
Qandeel Baloch was Pakistan's first social media star. She was born Fouzia Azeem, and came from a poor family in a town about 400km (248 miles) south-west of Lahore.

Often dubbed the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan, she had hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. She posted images and videos of herself twerking and singing, breaking strict taboos in socially conservative Pakistan.

As she became popular, she was paid to promote products on her social media accounts and appeared in music videos.

Following her rise to fame in 2014, it emerged that she had been married as a teenager and had a child. But she claimed her husband was a "savage man" who abused her and she fled with her son, residing for some time in a refuge.

However, she was unable to support the baby and returned him to her husband, who has always denied treating her badly.

By 2015, she was named one of the top 10 Googled people in Pakistan.

As she continued uploading controversial posts, she was warned by her digital branding consultant that she was going too far. Junaid Qasi told the Guardian that she refused to listen.

What happened to Qandeel Baloch?
Ms Baloch was invited to meet Mufti Abdul Qavi in Karachi during the holy month of Ramadan. She posted selfies with him to her social media accounts. In one image, she is wearing his signature sheepskin cap.

He was criticised for behaving inappropriately by associating with a disreputable woman. He was humiliated and his membership of a religious committee revoked.

Soon after, Ms Baloch was found dead in her bed.

Her brother Waseem said he drugged and then strangled her "for dishonouring" the family name.

Women's rights in Pakistan
According to the World Economic Forum, Pakistan is the second worst country in the world in terms of gender parity. Women hold fewer than 7% of managerial positions.

Early marriage remains a serious issue in Pakistan, with 21% of girls in the country marrying before the age of 18, and 3% marrying before 15.

More than five million primary school age children in Pakistan are not in school, most of them are girls, according to Human Rights Watch.

There were 35,935 female suicides between 2014 and 2016 according to figures by White Ribbon Pakistan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49848384

 

[shaz619]

The brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch has been jailed for life, three years after her murder.

Waseem confessed to strangling Ms Baloch, 26, in July 2016. At the time, he said it was because the star had brought shame on the family.

He was reported to be upset by pictures she had uploaded to social media.

On Friday, a court acquitted six other men charged in connection with the killing, including religious scholar, Mufti Abdul Qavi.

Ms Baloch's family had initially pointed the finger at the mufti, saying he had instigated the murder after he was criticised for taking selfies with the social media star a month before her death.

He has always denied any involvement.

Her brother Waseem is able to appeal against the sentence. His lawyer, Sardar Mehmood, told news agency AFP that he hoped Waseem Baloch would be "acquitted by a high court".

Another brother, Arif, has been declared a fugitive in relation to Ms Baloch's death, the court said.

What was the reaction?
At the court in Multan, there were scenes of celebration over the acquittals - and tears over the conviction.

Photos shared on social media show Mufti Qavi being showered in rose petals as he left court, his supporters overjoyed with the verdict.

Meanwhile, Ms Baloch's mother wept tears for her son.

"He is innocent," Anwar Mai told reporters before the sentence was handed down. She and her husband tried to free Waseem last month, saying they forgave their son for killing their daughter.

Online, there was anger for Ms Baloch. Many described their reaction to the verdict as "bittersweet", and expressed fear that - despite the conviction - things may not change for women in Pakistan.

"It took three years to get a judgement for her brother," Sanam Maher - the author of a book on Ms Qandeel - tweeted.

"I wonder how long it will take us to recognise that we shouldn't let ourselves off the hook, that our social structure is rotten & works against people like #Qandeel who wish to make something of themselves on their own terms," she added.

Qandeel Baloch made headlines long before her murder shocked the country. Once, she offered on Facebook to "strip for the nation" if Pakistan beat India in cricket. Then she posted selfies with a known cleric, Mufti Abdul Qavi, in styles that conveyed intimacy.

So when she was killed, many - including her family - pointed fingers at Mufti Qavi. This was despite Qandeel's brother admitting on camera that he did it all by himself.

He did retract that statement during the trial - saying it was given under duress - which may be the reason he avoided capital punishment. He can appeal the judgment on the same ground.

But while there may be a sense of relief among quarters sensitive to human and women's rights, the twists and turns that afflicted Qandeel's parents are a sad reflection of life in rural Pakistan.

Who was Qandeel Baloch?
Qandeel Baloch was Pakistan's first social media star. She was born Fouzia Azeem, and came from a poor family in a town about 400km (248 miles) south-west of Lahore.

Often dubbed the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan, she had hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. She posted images and videos of herself twerking and singing, breaking strict taboos in socially conservative Pakistan.

As she became popular, she was paid to promote products on her social media accounts and appeared in music videos.

Following her rise to fame in 2014, it emerged that she had been married as a teenager and had a child. But she claimed her husband was a "savage man" who abused her and she fled with her son, residing for some time in a refuge.

However, she was unable to support the baby and returned him to her husband, who has always denied treating her badly.

By 2015, she was named one of the top 10 Googled people in Pakistan.

As she continued uploading controversial posts, she was warned by her digital branding consultant that she was going too far. Junaid Qasi told the Guardian that she refused to listen.

What happened to Qandeel Baloch?
Ms Baloch was invited to meet Mufti Abdul Qavi in Karachi during the holy month of Ramadan. She posted selfies with him to her social media accounts. In one image, she is wearing his signature sheepskin cap.

He was criticised for behaving inappropriately by associating with a disreputable woman. He was humiliated and his membership of a religious committee revoked.

Soon after, Ms Baloch was found dead in her bed.

Her brother Waseem said he drugged and then strangled her "for dishonouring" the family name.

Women's rights in Pakistan
According to the World Economic Forum, Pakistan is the second worst country in the world in terms of gender parity. Women hold fewer than 7% of managerial positions.

Early marriage remains a serious issue in Pakistan, with 21% of girls in the country marrying before the age of 18, and 3% marrying before 15.

More than five million primary school age children in Pakistan are not in school, most of them are girls, according to Human Rights Watch.

There were 35,935 female suicides between 2014 and 2016 according to figures by White Ribbon Pakistan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49848384

Such a sad state of affairs

 

[MenInG]

Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Bokhari on Thursday said that the state has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the acquittal in the Qandeel Baloch murder case.

Taking to her official Twitter handle, Maleeka stated that the apex court had the opportunity to set an important “precedent in cases of such brutal murder”.

She further said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan continued to stand for the protection of the rights of women and girls.

On February 14, the LHC’s Multan bench abolished the life imprisonment of the accused after witnesses deviated from their statements in the trial court and Qandeel’s mother submitted a reconciliation agreement stipulating parental pardon.

Waseem was accused of strangulating his sister in the name of honour. He was arrested in July 2016 and awarded life imprisonment on September 27, 2019, by a court in Multan. At a news conference in 2016, Waseem had admitted that he strangled his 26-year-old sister due to her social media activities.

Referring to the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) acquittal of the prime suspect and brother of Qandeel Baloch in her murder case, Maleeka had earlier said that the murder of innocent women under “the false pretext of honour” and decisions which “disregard evidence and are premised upon the weak interpretation of the law cannot be allowed”.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2348389/state-files-appeal-against-acquittal-in-qandeel-baloch-case

 

[Hassaan HS]

Pakistan: Brother’s acquittal in Qandeel Baloch murder challenged

Prosecutors say they have appealed to the country’s top court after Muhammad Waseem was acquitted of killing his celebrity sister.

Pakistani prosecutors say they have appealed to the country’s top court after a man was acquitted of murdering his celebrity sister over what he called her “intolerable” behaviour on social media.

Qandeel Baloch – who was dubbed the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan – was strangled to death in 2016 by her brother Muhammad Waseem.After six years, Waseem was freed on a legal technicality that allows a victim’s mother to pardon the crime.

The case was considered the most high-profile “honour killing” of recent years, where women are murdered by male relatives for purportedly bringing “shame” to the reputation of a family.

Pakistan had passed legislation in 2016 mandating life in prison for honour killings, supposedly closing a loophole that allowed families to pardon the crime.

But Waseem, 38, was acquitted after a judge ruled the crime was not an honour killing and so, in line with Pakistan’s other laws on murder, their mother was still allowed to grant his freedom.

“We have challenged his acquittal, which was granted to him on mere assumptions and technical grounds,” state prosecutor Khurram Khan told the AFP news agency on Sunday.

The appeal was filed on Friday, Khan added, but the top court has yet to fix a date for the hearing.

Pakistani MP Maleeka Bokhari said the Supreme Court has an opportunity to set an important precedent when the case reaches its doors.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022...er-brother-acquittal-in-qandeel-baloch-murder

 

[MenInG]

Qandeel Baloch, the slain Pakistani social media sensation, has been rather popular in pop culture. The internet star rose to fame with her YouTube videos and was murdered by her brother, Waseem, in 2016 for 'dishonouring' the family. Baloch's tragic demise has been a much-discussed point in the entertainment industry; so much so, that it propelled a local channel to tell the late model's tale. The said drama serial, Baaghi, starred Saba Qamar as Kanwal Baloch.

Now, a film on Qandeel Baloch has been announced in India. Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava, who had helmed famous web series such as Made in Heaven and Bombay Begums, will be working on the said project. According to The Indian Express, producers Vikas Sharma and Sunny Khanna, along with Shrivastava have acquired the rights to the book The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch by Pakistani journalist Sanam Maher.

“When Qandeel Baloch was murdered in Pakistan in 2016, I was shaken up. It was a heinous honour killing. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I started watching Qandeel’s videos repeatedly, and I was fascinated," Alankrita shared with the publication. “She was so charming and full of life. A poor girl from a small village, who worked her way up to being provocatively famous. She was just 26 when she was killed. And ironically, it’s only after her death that she has been reclaimed as a feminist,” the director said in a statement. This film is an ode to the courageous spirit of Baloch."

The filmmaker went on to add, “It will chronicle her sensational and astonishing rise to fame. I hope to piece together the memories of the rebellious, funny and vulnerable young girl, whose life was cut short because she shimmered too bright. The film will celebrate her spunk and lust for life by telling her story without judgment, hopefully, the way she would have liked to tell it."

Sharma and Khanna said, for them, this movie is an opportunity for them to tell a unique story on female agency and systemic gender violence. Sharma, who has produced films like Qarib Qarib Single and Dobaara among others, commented how the story of Baloch deserves to be told by the right filmmaker and he is happy to have collaborated with Shrivastava for the upcoming feature.

“Qandeel’s story needs to be told by a sensitive filmmaker who is passionate about women’s stories. Alankrita is just the filmmaker for it. And not just because she is an award-winning feminist filmmaker, but because she has so much empathy for her characters. She tells their stories with candour and warmth,” the producer said.

Sharing similar sentiments, Khanna said the world needs to know about Baloch.

“Qandeel Baloch’s story is important and relevant. Even today women often continue to be at risk when they dare to express their individuality and challenge the status quo. I believe the world needs to watch stories like this. And I’m looking forward to the journey of this film,” Khanna, whose co-production credits include Why Cheat India? and Bheja Fry 2, said.

Previously, in an interview with The Express Tribune, Qamar, who essayed Baloch in the Pakistani project, shared how many understand the latter was wronged by the society. Baaghi shed light on honour killings, which seem to be prevalent practice in the country.

"To some extent, honour killing has changed," the Ghabrana Nahi Hai star had shared. "And I say that because the same people who were abusing her were the ones crying after watching the last episode. They were the ones who then had a soft corner for her. I think they finally understood how she was wronged on so many levels."

She concluded, "Also, I believe that, as artists, we are fortunate enough to have a platform that we can use to change people’s perceptions and views. We can portray stories that are meaningful and thought-provoking for the greater good of the country and the world."

Express Tribune