Pakistani model Qandeel Baloch murdered in honor killing

Pakistani model and social media star Qandeel Baloch, known in some circles as the Pakistani Kim Kardashian, has been murdered in what observers believe to be an “honor killing”.

Punjab Police spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar told Reuters Baloch, real name Fauzia Azeem, was killed in her family home on the outskirts of Multan, a large city in the Punjab province. The killing has been touted as an “honour killing” by police and media reports, and a string of celebrities have come forward to express their apathy for the heinous murder. “He had serious reservations regarding her pictures being circulated on social media”, Muhammad Azeem told reporters. “He escaped after strangling Qandeel”.

Three weeks ago, Baloch went to police asking for protection, saying that she had received numerous death threats, particularly on her social media where she often was a target given the conservative nature of Pakistan.

Police are still seeking her brother, who fled. She drew criticism recently when she posted photos of herself with a Muslim cleric.

“Nida Kirmani, who teaches sociology at Lahore University, said: “[She was] a woman who was living life on her own terms she wasn’t afraid. she was fun, loud, bold brash and attractive – we would like to drown out those voices who think she deserved it because of the way she was behaving”.

She found fame and slipped into the national consciousness after declaring that she would perform a live strip tease online if Pakistan won a cricket match against arch rival India.

Qavi maintained that he only met with her to discuss the teachings of Islam.

Every year, more 500 people die in so-called honor killings in Pakistan, according to Reuters. She recently appeared in a music video, gyrating to an Urdu song in high heels and a see-through top. In a press conference, he spoke with his face covered, telling the gathered journalists that he “killed for honor” and had “no regrets” about murdering his younger sister.

On her final, July 4 post to her Facebook page, which has nearly 800,000 fans, she wrote: “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“.

Others, however, could not hide their delight that she had been silenced.

She was a divisive figure in conservative Pakistan but had hundreds of thousands of fans on Facebook and regularly appeared on television shows and in news interviews. “What she (was) doing is a disgrace for Pakistan so she deserve this”, said Twitter user Asad Iqbal Orakzai.