The brother who strangled a Pakistani social media star dubbed the country's 'Kim Kardashian' to death in an honour killing was today freed following just six years behind bars after he was pardoned by his mother.
Qandeel Baloch, 26, became famous for her suggestive and defiant posts which flew in the face of the nation's deeply patriarchal mores before her death in 2016.
Her brother Muhammad Waseem was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison for strangling her, brazenly telling the press he had no remorse for the slaying because her behaviour was 'intolerable'.
He appealed against the 2019 murder verdict and life sentence and today a court in the central city of Multan struck down the conviction after major witnesses retracted their testimony.
Waseem's mother Anwar Mai had also submitted a statement in the court that she had pardoned him, his lawyer Sardar Mehboob said, though it
was not clear whether the court considered the mother's statement in its decision.
Under a recent Pakistani law change, perpetrators are no longer able to seek forgiveness from the victim's family - sometimes their own family - and to have their sentences commuted.
Mehboob said Waseem 'has been fully acquitted' by a court in the eastern city of Multan today, without giving further details.
The court order has yet to be made public but a government prosecutor confirmed the acquittal.
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.
However, whether or not a murder is defined as a crime of honour is left to the judge's discretion, meaning killers can theoretically claim a different motive and still be pardoned.
Waseem had admitted in a 2016 media conference organised by police that he strangled his 26-year-old sister due to her social media activities.
In Baloch's case, her parents initially insisted their son would be given no absolution. But they later changed their minds and said they wanted him to be forgiven.
A lawyer for the siblings' mother said she had given 'her consent' to pardon him, according to her lawyer Safdar Shah.
He is expected to be released later this week.
'Waseem may now walk free while Qandeel was condemned for stepping outside the bounds of what is deemed 'acceptable' behaviour for women in Pakistan,' biographer Sanam Maher told AFP.
'After today's verdict, we may ask, who killed her?' she added.
Baloch had posted Facebook posts in which she spoke of trying to change 'the typical orthodox mindset' of people in Pakistan.
She faced frequent abuse and death threats but continued to post pictures and videos seen as provocative.
She had built a modelling career on the back of her social media fame, but drew ire from many Pakistanis.
Her killing sent shockwaves across Pakistan and triggered an outpouring of grief on social media, spurring the government to tighten laws dealing with men who would kill a close relative in the name of family honour.
Three months after Baloch's murder Pakistan's parliament passed new legislation mandating life imprisonment for honour killings.
Hundreds of women are killed each year in Pakistan by family members over perceived offences to honour, including elopement, fraternization with men outside marriage or other infractions against conservative Muslim values on female modesty.
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