Nabila Malik Haya
Coincidentally, I found the picture of Qandeel’s grave on my WhatsApp on the same day when The controversial Mufti Qavi and Hareem Shah were trending on social media.
Mufti Qavi was removed from the Ruet e Hilal committee after his pictures went viral with Qandeel Baloch in 2016. Mufti Qavi was also a member of PTI but was expelled from the party for the same reason.
At the time the minister of religious affairs also suspended mufti’s membership of the National Ulema Mushaikh council. He now got into the controversy again with the famous tiktoker Hareem Shah when he was slapped in the hotel room where he went for the show. He told the Geo News that he was unaware that why he was slapped by Hareem Shah. On the other hand, Hareem Shah confirmed that she slapped him because he harassed her and one of her friends.
It may not be linked with the Qandeel Baloch case but whenever Mufti Qavi will get in the dispute in such a way, it will remind us what happened to Qandeel Baloch. In 2016 when the video with Qandil Baloch gone viral the media got too involved and actively participated in knowing who is Qandeel and where she lives. Without realizing what can be the consequence in a conservative society.
The famous anchor-person Mubashir Luqman interviewed Qavi and Qandeel Baloch. After she met with mufti Qavi, the daily Pakistan national new paper revealed her real name and information about her family. That further led to her death because the very first time her family or brother got to know what she is famous for.
Four and a half years ago, Fuozia Azeem was killed by her brother in the name of honor. Fuozia who changed her name to Qandeel Baloch was from a rural working-class family with a very conservative family. She got married at her early age and had a son but moved to the city to fulfill her dreams of becoming a model. She became the first female social media star of Pakistan.
She was famous for her sexy stunts and bold pictures on social media. BBC reported that she had 75,000 followers on her Facebook page. She was over-highlighted in the mainstream media about her meeting with Mufti Qavi and her previous life that why and when she left her village and her husband. She had to tell everything about her marriage and how her husband treated her.
Qandeel was murdered within a month after that meeting with Mufti Qavi. She changed her living place her living style to be someone to become a new person and all she got was a shame. She died trying to be someone all her fault was that she was born in the conservative family system, where the patriarchy is strongly rooted and where males can easily take themselves out of the discussion but a woman has to die.
Qandeel’s murder case has given new life to anti honor killing bill. The legislation on honor killings has introduced strict punishment for the convicts making it tougher than ordinary murder cases. Under the new law relatives of the victim would only be able to pardon the killer if he is sentenced to capital punishment. However, the culprit would still face a mandatory life sentence of twelve-and-a-half years. Qandeel has died but she would save many other Qandeels.
Picture by Rozain Sami
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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