Pakistan Court Acquits Social Media Star Qandeel Baloch's Brother In Her Honour Killing Case

In connection to Qandeel Baloch’s death, her brother Muhammad Waseem was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison for strangling

​(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 27, 2019, policemen escort hand-cuffed Muhammad Waseem (C), the brother of slain social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch, as he leaves the court after the verdict in Multan. | AFP

New Delhi: In Pakistan, Lahore High Court acquitted the brother of a Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch, murdered in the name of honour killing in 2016, on Monday after serving less than six years in prison.

In connection to Baloch’s death, her brother Muhammad Waseem was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for strangling her, according to AFP.

In 2016, the 26-year-old Qandeel Baloch rose to fame for her defiant posts targeted at the nation's deeply patriarchal society before her death.

"He has been fully acquitted" by a court in the eastern city of Multan, his lawyer Sardar Mehboob told AFP, without giving further details. The court order has yet to be made public.

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Waseem brazenly told the press that he had no remorse for killing Qandeel Baloch because her sister's behaviour was "intolerable". He felt that the videos and photographs she had been posting online brought disrespect to their family, according to a BBC report.

"Waseem may now walk free while Qandeel was condemned for stepping outside the bounds of what is deemed 'acceptable' behaviour for women in Pakistan," biographer Sanam Maher told AFP.

Changed Law

Recently, the amendments in the Pakistani law tell that perpetrators can no longer seek forgiveness from the victim's family, sometimes their own family, and to have their sentences commuted.

However, in the case whether or not murder is defined as a crime of honour is left to the judge's discretion, meaning killers can theoretically claim a different motive and still be pardoned.

In Baloch's case, her parents initially insisted their son would be given no absolution. But they later changed their minds and said they wanted him to be forgiven. A lawyer for the siblings' mother said she had given "her consent" to pardon him, according to her lawyer Safdar Shah.

Now, the culprit is expected to be released later this week.

(With AFP Inputs)