Social media celebrity from Pakistan Qandeel Baloch was murdered in Multan on Saturday. Police said Baloch's brother killed her, after threatening her to stop posting videos and photos on Facebook, according to Pakistani daily Dawn. It was earlier reported that Baloch was shot dead, but police later confirmed that she had been strangled.
"Baloch was killed by her brother over honour in Muzaffarabad's Green Town area," a regional police officer told The Express Tribune. According to her family, Baloch's brothers had asked her to quit modelling, but police have yet to ascertain the motive. Her brother fled after murdering her.
Following a scandal with former member of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Abdul Qawi, the actor-cum-model had recently sought security cover after allegedly receiving death threats. With no response from the Interior Ministry, Baloch had reportedly planned to settle down abroad after Eid.
Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, had become famous through her self-promotion and selfies posted on social media. She had tens of thousands of followers who praised her forthright attitude. The 25-year-old, who hailed from the tribal area of Shah Sadar Din of Dera Ghazi Khan district, had started her career as a bus hostess. She shot to fame after she shared selfies and a video of her with Qawi that led to the latter's suspension from the committee.
She has recently been in the news for her "tumultuous" marriage. One Aashiq Hussain of Kot Addu claimed on TV that he was married to Baloch. She later alleged that she was forcibly married and accused her former husband of domestic abuse. Three days ago, reports of her two other marriages also surfaced.
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