MULTAN: The district and sessions court hearing social media star Qandeel Baloch’s murder case ruled on Wednesday that the remaining suspects will be indicted on March 21.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the primary accused in Qandeel Baloch’s murder, her brother Waseem and relative Haq Nawaz, appeared in court along with the other accused: former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Mufti Abdul Qavi, Aslam Shahid and Abdul Basit.
Waseem and Nawaz were indicted in the case in December 2016.
The judge directed that the remaining accused be provided copies of the charge-sheet so they could be indicted on March 21.
Moreover, the judge separated on Wednesday, the case of Baloch’s other brother, Arif, after declaring him an absconder for being a no-show in the proceedings.
Mufti Abdul Qavi was arrested in the case in October last year after a court rejected his bail. However, his bail was restored around a month later after he remained in police custody where he also gave a polygraph test.
According to the police, Qavi, while in custody, said that the owner and driver of the vehicle which brought Baloch’s murder suspects – Waseem and Nawaz – from Dera Ghazi Khan to Multan and then brought them back is his cousin: Abdul Basit.
Moreover, Qavi, according to a senior police official, told police during investigation that the house in Multan’s Muzaffarabad locality where Baloch resided was owned by a close associate of his – Muhammad Nawaz.
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf had suspended Qavi’s membership of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee after Baloch released pictures of herself with the cleric in a hotel room weeks before her murder, wearing his hat and pouting.
She had accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
Fauzia Azeem, popularly known by her taken name Qandeel Baloch, shot to fame for her provocative selfies and videos that polarised Pakistan.
She was allegedly strangled on July 16, 2016, by her brother Waseem.
In his ‘confession’, Waseem claimed she had brought shame on the family and owned up to his crime in a press conference after his arrest the same day. Waseem, his cousin Nawaz and Basit were indicted in December 2016 and pleaded not guilty.
Prior to her death, Baloch, 26, spoke of worries about her safety and had appealed to the Interior Ministry to provide her with security.
In Facebook posts, she spoke of trying to change “the typical orthodox mindset” of people in Pakistan.
Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2018.
