Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The government moved the Supreme Court against the acquittal of the convict in the murder of Qandeel Baloch, a model on social media, Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Maleeka Bokhari said Thursday.
Muhammad Waseem was arrested in 2016 after he confessed to killing his sister, 26, for posting what he called “shameful” pictures on Facebook.
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison but after less than six years in prison, an appeal judge ruled that Baloch’s murder could not be defined as a crime of honour, dismissing his confession.
The laws allow a murder victim’s family to pardon a convicted killer. In a tweet, Bokhari said the top court has an opportunity to set an important precedent in cases of “such brutal murders”.
The government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan continues to stand for the protection of the rights of women and girls, she added.
After Waseem was released in February, Bokhari had announced the state was reviewing “legal options” in light of the law and prior Supreme Court judgements in cases of so-called honour killings.
Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had also said the government will challenge the verdict at Pakistan’s top court.
“We as a nation should be ashamed of such (legal) system,” Chaudhry said on Twitter.
Baloch became famous for her flirty and defiant posts which flew in the face of the nation’s deeply patriarchal mores.
Waseem was arrested immediately after her death and later sentenced to life in prison for strangling her — brazenly telling the media he had no remorse.
The case became the most high profile honour killing of recent years — where women are dealt lethal punishment by male relatives for purportedly bringing “shame” to the reputation of a family.
