Qandeel Baloch's brother acquitted by Pakistan court

 

A Pakistani court on Tuesday acquitted Qandeel Baloch's brother Waseem Baloch, who had confessed to killing the social media star. Wasim was released after three years. He was previously convicted of killing Qandeel, reports CNN.

Qandeel's killing in 2016 sparked national outrage and prompted changes to Pakistan's so-called 'honour killing' laws.

 

Wasim Baloch was arrested within days of the murder. He had confessed to the murder of his sister (25) in Multan through a video message. Even after confessing the crime, he had requested the court not to plead guilty. In 2019, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In a video, Wasim Baloch said that he is "proud" of killing his sister. She had said that she did not like the sister's friends sharing her pictures. He had said, "I first made him drink drugs. Then I killed him." Wasis believed, "Girls are born to stay at home and follow traditions. My sister never did that."

 

Pakistan's law at the time of Qandeel Baloch's murder allowed the family of a murder victim to pardon a convicted murderer. However, social activists feared that the law would be used to spare Wasim Baloch.

Sanam Maher, author of "A Woman Like Her: The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch", also expressed her anger on Instagram. "This is a society that takes great pleasure in punishing women who break the rules. It is no surprise that every suspect in this case has been acquitted," Maher said.

 

He asked, "After today's verdict, we can ask who killed him? It seems no one."