MULTAN – The brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch was onFriday convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison in thepatriarchal country’s highest-profile “honour killing”.
Baloch, who shot to fame for her risque selfies — tame by Westernstandards, but considered provocative in deeply misogynistic Pakistan –was strangled in July 2016.
Her brother Muhammad Waseem was arrested. Days later he told a pressconference that he had no remorse over what he did, saying that “of course”he had murdered his sister and that her behaviour had been “intolerable”.
His lawyer, Sardar Mehmood, told AFP the court in the eastern city ofMultan had found his client guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment,in a long-awaited verdict.
“Inshallah (God willing), he will be acquitted by a high court,” he said.
Earlier, Baloch’s mother Anwar Mai told AFP she had hoped her son would beacquitted.
“He is innocent. She was my daughter and he is my son,” she said.
Baloch’s murder made international headlines and reignited calls for actionagainst an epidemic of so-called “honour killings”, in which a victim –usually a woman — is murdered for flouting patriarchal social codes.
Women have been burned, shot, stabbed and strangled for offences such aschoosing their own husband or — in Baloch’s case — bringing “shame” ontheir family by celebrating their sexuality.
The killings are usually carried out by a close relative. Under Pakistan’sQisas (blood money) and Diyat (retribution) law, they can then seekforgiveness from a victim’s relatives.
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Three months after Baloch’s murder, parliament passed new legislationmandating life imprisonment for honour killings.
However, whether a murder is defined as a crime of honour is left to thejudge’s discretion, meaning that killers can theoretically claim adifferent motive and still be pardoned.
In Baloch’s case, her parents initially insisted their son would be givenno absolution.
But, heartbroken at the thought of losing him also, they changed theirminds and said they wanted him to be forgiven.
International revulsion at the killing had seen the Pakistani state takethe unprecedented step of declaring itself an heir alongside the parents,however, forcing the case to move ahead.
Some of Baloch’s better-known actions included offering to perform astriptease for the Pakistani cricket team, and donning a plunging scarletdress on Valentine’s Day.
She attracted criticism and threats but was perceived by many, includingyoung people, as breaking new ground in a country where presenting yourselfas a Kim Kardashian-like figure can be seen as a bold, political act ofwomen’s empowerment.
The roots of “honour” killings lie in tribal social norms, which remainprevalent across South Asia and dictate the behaviour of women inparticular, though men can be victims too. -APP/AFP
