MULTAN: Father of slain Facebook celebrity, Qandeel Baloch has done an about-face on his statement, this time, claiming innocence on part of his sons who are accused of the murder in an ‘honour killing’ case.
In the latest claim made by late Baloch’s father, Muhammad Azeem, he stated that he gave statement against his sons initially under pressure and they were not involved in the murder. He demanded the police to record his statement for the second time.
Baloch who rose to fame owing to her provocative videos on Facebook, in one of which she claimed to perform a striptease for her viewers and fans if Pakistan won Twenty20 WorldCup.
She was murdered in the wee hours on July 16 by her younger brother, Waseem who pleaded guilty after arrest and termed the crime an act to reclaim ‘honour’ of the family.
Her parents held their sons responsible for the crime and stated that they would not pardon them.
In a polygraph test performed in Lahore, Waseem named his cousin, Haq Nawaz as an abettor who confessed to strangling the victim while Waseem held her arms after she was drugged.
The murder was committed a few months after victim’s pictures with Mufti Abdul Qawi, a member of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, surfaced which did not have a neutral reception by conservatives in the society.
Qawi was decided to be taken in custody by Multan Police by Multan Police which he termed ridiculous.
Earlier, police received forensic report of the victim s mobile phone data which stated that the last contact established between Baloch and Qawi was on June 22.
It should be noted here that hundreds of women are murdered for so-called honour in Pakistan every year but late Baloch’s killing prompted the government representatives to at least assert that legislation was underway and statute would be enacted soon.
In Baloch’s case, her parents were not able to pardon the culprits as state intervened in the matter which never was the case earlier.
Murderers used to walk free after family of the victim and their relatives pardoned them off.
