Pakistani model's brother says he drugged, strangled her

Islamabad, July 17: The brother of Pakistani model-cum-actress Qandeel Baloch has confessed that he drugged and then strangled his sister in the me of “honour”. Baloch’s brother was arrested by the police on Saturday night after she was found strangled to death in her house in Multan early in the morning. Her father Muhammad Azeem claimed that she was killed by her younger brother, Waseem, in the me of honour, Dawn online reported. Waseem said “she brought dishonour to the Baloch me” due to risque videos and statements that she posted on social media. “There are other issues as well... Like the maulvi issue,” Waseem said, referring to a recent controversy surrounding Baloch’s selfies with Mufti Qavi. “I gave her a tablet and then strangled her.”

“She wasn’t aware I was killing her,” he said. “I gave her a tablet and then strangled her.”

City police chief Azhar Akram said: “Waseem killed her by covering her mouth and nose after which he fled to Dera Ghazi Khan with two of his friends. We are searching for his friends and I am hopeful they will also be caught soon. After interrogating them, we will be able to determine their role in the crime.”

The city police chief said the authorities will charge Waseem with honour killing and seek “maximum punishment”. In the First Information Report, the father of the deceased said his daughter came to Multan from Karachi to celebrate Eid with the family and Waseem also came to meet them on July 14. Azeem further said that he, along with his wife, went to sleep on the rooftop while Qandeel slept in a room where Waseem strangled her to death as he was against her working in showbiz. He alleged that Waseem had taken this extreme step at the behest of his brother Mohammad Aslam Shaheen. Qandeel’s funeral was held early on Sunday at Shah Saddardin, Dera Ghazi Khan. A neighbour said she had visited the model on Friday night when her brother was watching television while she was in another room and everything was fine.

“It is unbelievable. Qandeel was a very nice girl,” she added. Baloch shot to fame in 2014 through her self-promotion and suggestive “selfies” posted on social media. She had tens of thousands of followers. (IANS)