Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch was strangled to death over the weekend, with her brother confessing to the murder as an “honour killing”.
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Azeem’s anger apparently stems from a moment when Baloch posed for pictures with a prominent Muslim cleric named Mufti Abdul Qavi, leaving Azeem angry at what he termed as disrespect for his religion.
The father of Qandeel Baloch has spoken out in support of his daughter, after she was killed by her brother, Pakistani media report. In fact, her sometimes raunchy postings, photographs and comments were often frowned up in the very conservative country that Pakistan is.
The social media outpouring after her death has been widespread. “He escaped after strangling Qandeel”. In one picture, she is wearing the cleric’s fur-lined hat. Qandeel’s videos making rounds on social media could not be tolerated, hence I myself made a decision to kill her. “It was around 10.45pm when I gave her a tablet [.] and then killed her”.
As previously reported, Wasim disappeared shortly after strangling Baloch, 26, on Friday, July 15, but was found and arrested shortly afterward, after their father filed a police complaint against him.
He said his sons were sad over “her accomplishments” and turned against her even though she supported them, the paper included.
City Police Officer Azhar Akram held a press conference on Saturday night where Waseem confessed to having killed Qandeel in the name of honour.
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Almost 1,000 women are killed by close relatives in Pakistan each year in so-called “honor killings” for violating conservative norms on love and marriage. She had also received warnings and threats from her six brothers, who told her to stop modeling and posting on social media. “As a women we must stand up for each other”.
