26-year-old social media star Qandeel Baloch, known in her native Pakistan for her daring posts and pro-female empowerment stance, has been murdered by her own brother, in what Al Jazeera are reporting as an honour killing.
Baloch, real name Fauzia Azeem, died in her home town of Multan, and police on Saturday said that her father Mohammed Azeem filed a case against his son Waseem Azeem, who fled but was later captured.
Appearing in a press conference, with his face covered, Waseem told journalists that he “killed for honour” and had “no regrets”.
Qandeel Baloch, who began her career by appearing on Pakistani Idol, was a popular and divisive figure in conservative Pakistan, often appearing on television in revealing, non-traditional clothes to talk about feminist concepts.
Her final Facebook post, on July 4, said:
“I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices.”
Tributes for Baloch have come from around Pakistan, with vigils held in Lahore and Karachi and everyone from media figures to prominent religious leaders condemning the killing.
Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who has made documentaries about honour killings, spoke to Al Jazeera about the “epidemic” of violence against women, saying:
“I’m very shaken up today. Activists in Pakistan have been screaming hoarse about honour killings; it is an epidemic, it takes place not only in towns, but in major cities as well. What are we going to do as a nation? … It’s upon the lawmakers to punish these people. We need to start making examples of people. It appears it is very easy to kill a woman in this country – and you can walk off scot free.”
Senator Shery Rahman accused the country’s conservative government of “sitting on vital amendments in the Pakistani Criminal Procedure Code” that would address crimes against women, and hoped that this killing would spark change.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Photo: Facebook.
