Qandeel Baloch case: Mufti Qavi acquitted, brother got life imprisonment

Three years after the murder of Pakistani social media sensation Qandeel Baloch her brother has been jailed for lifetime.

According to details, the model court has announced the verdict in the 2016 Qandeel Baloch murder case on Friday as lawyers and prosecution have since concluded their arguments.

Qandeel’s brother Waseem confessed to strangling her, 26, in July 2016. At the time, he said it was because reportedly he was upset by pictures Qandeel had uploaded to social media which had brought shame on the family, According to him.

On Friday, a court acquitted religious scholar, Mufti Abdul Qavi and all the other men charged on account of killing the star.

Qandeel’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.

The case was transferred to the model court on August 3, with Judge Imran Shafi conducting hearings on a daily basis.

Aslam Mahira, father of Qandeel Baloch and complainant in the case, had nominated his sons Wasim, Arif and Aslam Shaheen along with a cleric Mufti Abudl Qawi, Haq Nawaz, Abdul Basit and Zafar, as those charged with the murder of the social-media star.

Primary suspect Wasim surrendered himself to authorities and was taken into custody a day after the murder.

He confessed to committing the crime, but later retracted his confession.

Over the course of the trial, Qandeel Baloch’s father also requested the court to pardon his sons, as he had forgiven them.

The court however, ruled that the crime of murder was not a crime of a “personal” nature, and rejected his application.

The primary suspect is in judicial custody while the other suspects are on bail.

Earlier, the mother of the slain had alleged that her daughter was murdered by her son at the behest of Mufti Abdul Qawi.

It is pertinent to mention that Qandeel Baloch was murdered on July 15, 2016 in Multan’s Muzaffarabad area.

Fouzia Azeem, better known by the name Qandeel Baloch, was a Pakistani model, actress, social media celebrity and activist.

Qandeel rose to prominence due to her videos on social networks discussing her daily routine, her rights as a Pakistani woman, and various controversial issues.