JournalismPakistan.com | Published July 16, 2016
Join our WhatsApp channel
MUZAFFARABAD - Social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother in a suspected honor killing, officials said Saturday, prompting shock and revulsion.
Baloch, praised by many of the country's youth for her willingness to break social taboos but condemned by conservatives, was strangled near Multan, police said. "Qandeel Baloch has been killed, she was strangled to death by her brother. Apparently it was an incident of honor killing," Sultan Azam, senior police officer in Multan, told AFP.
Baloch, believed to be in her twenties and whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, had travelled with her family to Muzzafarabad village in central Punjab province for Eid holidays.
She was killed there Friday, police said, adding that the brother, Wasim, was now on the run.
Up to 100 officers were gathered outside her family's home in Muzzafarabad, an AFP reporter there said. Five ambulances were also parked nearby.
"My daughter was innocent, we are innocent, we want justice, why was my daughter killed?" Baloch's father Azeem Ahmad told reporters there.
Police later registered a murder case against her brother based on her father's written complaint, in which he accused his son of killing his daughter for honor because "his son wanted her to quit showbiz".
Hundreds of women are murdered for "honor" every year in Pakistan.
The killers overwhelmingly walk free because of a law that allows the family of the victim to forgive the murderer - who is often also a relative.
Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose documentary on honor killings won an Oscar earlier this year, slammed Baloch's murder as symptomatic of an "epidemic" of violence against women in Pakistan.
News of the murder was trending on social media in Pakistan, with liberal users praising Baloch's bravery, but some conservatives - including users identified as women - condemning her relentless self-promotion.
In one typical comment, Twitter user @JiaAli wrote: "Someone had to do it. She was a disgrace."
But Facebook user Zaair Hussain said: "RIP Qandeel Baloch. You made us laugh, and you made us applaud," adding that history would remember her as a "provocateur".
Baloch shot to fame in 2014 after a video of her pouting at the camera and asking "How em looking?" went viral.
Her defiance of tradition and defence of liberal views won her many admirers among Pakistan's overwhelmingly young population.
But in a country where women have fought for rights for decades, and acid attacks and honor killings remain commonplace, she was also reviled by many and frequently subject to misogynist abuse.
Baloch provoked controversy last month after posing for selfies with a high-profile cleric, who was sternly rebuked by the religious affairs ministry.
Earlier this year she vowed to perform a striptease if Pakistan's cricket team beat India at the World T20, though they later lost.
"People are going crazy - especially girls. I get so many calls where they tell me I'm their inspiration and they want to be like me," she told AFP after posting a provocative selfie on Valentine's Day.
In her last interview with Pakistan's biggest English-language newspaper Dawn she spoke of being married against her will at age 17 to "an uneducated man" with whom she had a child, adding that they later divorced.
She had reportedly spoken of leaving the country out of fear for her safety, with Dawn reporting that her request to officials for protection had been ignored.
Obaid-Chinoy told AFP the murder showed no woman in Pakistan would be safe "until we start sending men who kill women to jail".
"There is not a single day where you don't pick up a paper and see a woman hasn't been killed," the maker of "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" told AFP, adding: "This is an epidemic".
Obaid-Chinoy's film was hailed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who in February vowed to push through anti-honor killing legislation.
No action has been taken since then, despite a recent fresh wave of attacks on women.
"Activists have screamed themselves hoarse," said Obaid-Chinoy. "When will it stop?" - AFP
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.