Qandeel Baloch case to be pursued by state: Farogh Naseem

State to file appeal against Lahore High Court decision in Supreme Court

Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem has said that the federal government would pursue the Qandeel Baloch murder case.

Previously during the month, the Lahore’s High Court’s Multan bench exonerated Baloch’s brother Waseem, who was convicted in the case. The social media star was murdered by her brother for “honour” in 2016.

Naseem said on Friday that the Law Ministry and Punjab prosecutor-general had completed consultations on the murder case. He said the government would file an appeal against the LHC verdict in the Supreme Court and use the judgments from the Lahore Motorway rape case and Zainab rape case as references.

The minister added the government would also pursue the Usman Mirza case and cited the Noor Mukadam rape case verdict, which was passed on Thursday. He said it was the result of the reforms that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party had introduced.

Earlier on February 14, the LHC acquitted Waseem after Qandeel’s parents agreed to forgive him. The case went on for over three years. In 2019, Waseem was sentenced to life imprisonment. Other suspects who had been arrested in the case were released without charges. They included cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi, Qandeel’s other brother Aslam Shaheen, Haq Nawaz, Abdul Basit and Mohammad Zafar Hussain.