Lahore: Pakistan’s social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch’s absconding brother Mohammad Arif, who was an accused in her gruesome murder, has been arrested with the help of Interpol and handed over to police in Punjab province, a senior police official said Sunday.
Fouzia Azeem, better known as Qandeel was strangled to death July 15, 2016 at her home in Multan in the Punjab province. The murder sent shock waves across Pakistan, triggering an outpouring of grief on social media and igniting fierce debate over the prevalence of ‘honour killings’ of women.
Multan police Saturday arrested Qandeel Baloch’s absconding brother and handed him over to Muzaffarabad police station in Multan, senior police official Mahar Bashir Hiraj was quoted as saying by the ‘Dawn’ newspaper.
Arif had been declared an absconder in the murder case of Baloch. His arrest comes after a Pakistani court on September 27 sentenced another brother of Baloch, Muhammad Wasim to life imprisonment for killing her.
Wasim confessed to the murder of his 26-year-old sister and said she had brought ‘disrepute’ to the ‘family’s honour’ with her risque videos and statements posted on social media.
Baloch had become famous for her bold social media pictures, videos and comments. But those posts in which she spoke of trying to change ‘the typical orthodox mindset’ of people in Pakistan were considered outrageous by the largely conservative Pakistani community.
Described as Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian, Baloch built a modelling career on the back of her social media fame. She faced frequent backlash and death threats, but continued to post her pictures and videos.
PTI
