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Qandeel Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, 26, was killed allegedly by her brother. Her death came after reports surfaced about her personal life on social media.
She was a social media star known for her outspoken, daring posts about women and independence.
Baloch's father, Mohammed Azeem, had filed a case against his son Waseem Azeem. Her father also testified against another of his sons, who works in the army and reportedly encouraged his sibling to carry out the killing.Both sons reportedly went missing as news of the killing spread.
Nabila Ghazzanfar, a Punjab Police spokeswoman told Aljazeera that the initial post-mortem showed that the her nose and mouth had been pinned shut before she died, blocking off her airways. She had not been strangled contrary to earlier reports.
Baloch was considered a rebel Pakistan, a largely conservative nation; she often appeared on television to speak about female empowerment, dressed in non-traditional, revealing, clothes.
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| Image Credit: Wikipedia |
She began her career by auditioning on Pakistan Idol and soon after launched a social media business, posting videos that went viral.
On her final Facebook post on July 4 post to her Facebook page, which has almost 800,000 fans, she wrote: "I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don't wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices."
Her apparent "honour killing" has caused outrage.
After the release of a recent music video in which Baloch starred, the celebrity's ex-husband Aashiq Hussain revealed intimate details of their relationship.
The story of her personal life was scrutinised in the media. She was pitted against clerics and her former husband, and cried publicly about torture and abuse she suffered during the short marriage.
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| Image Credit: Al-Jazeera |
Last month, she posted a series of selfies with a leading cleric, Mufti Abdul Qavi - a member of the "moon-sighting" committee, again causing a furore.
During their meeting, the cleric reportedly proposed. A video shows Baloch sitting on the cleric's lap, while photos show her wearing his traditional wool cap.
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| Image source: Al Jazeera |
Many have condemned the killings and vigils were held in Lahore and Karachi. Women gathered to protest against the apparent 'honour' killing of Qandeel Baloch.
