Daily Times

While the mainstream media chose to completely ignore her, the social media remembers its slain icon Qandeel Baloch who was murdered by her own brother in her native Multan on this day last year.

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Qandeel rose to fame because of her “silly” and bold videos on the social media – many of which would often question social norms and hypocrisies especially surrounding the treatment of women.

While Qandeel had many fans, she was often trolled, harassed and even abused by the social media users for the most part. She couldn’t care any less and went on to post videos on her social media channels regardless of response.

Qandeel Baloch hailed from a poverty-ridden family and continued to financially support her parents and even brothers as per some media reports.

Things took a turn for the worse when the media had brought into limelight some shocking revelations from her past. Invading her privacy, the media not only gave airtime to the abusive ex-husband but also made public her identification and divorce documents.

Only three weeks before being brutally murdered, Baloch had requested security from the Interior Ministry and Federal Investigation Authority (FIA).

Because of her bold voice, she was also hailed as a symbol of girl-power, a title that didn’t fly well in some elitist circles – something which even Qandeel complained about saying she doesn’t understand why isn’t she given credit for her fight for the women rights.

She was visiting her parents for Eid when her brother later identified as Waseem suffocated her to death. Confessing to the murder, he said he had done it in the name of “honour”.

Waseem and her other brother Haq Nawaz are in jail facing murder trial. In January this year, the police booked her parents as well for retracting their earlier statements against the suspect.

Qandeel’s murder had reignited the debate surrounding the notorious “honour” killing incidents in the country and the legal flaw that allowed another family member to pardon the killer. In October the parliament had passed a law that removed the ability of a family member to pardon the “honour” killers.One year on, Qandeel continues to be remembered by both fans and critics.

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