Qandeel Baloch, ’ Is Killed by her Brother
The 26-year-old internet star was strangled to death by her brother.
Qandeel Baloch, 26, a model and Pakistan’s most popular internet celebrity, was killed on Friday by her brother in probably the country’s most high-profile case of “honor killing.†Her brother strangled her while she was asleep in the city of Multan.
Ms. Baloch had turned into an overnight national and international sensation because of her elegant use of social media to self-promote her work and message, urging young women to pursue their dreams and ambitions. Ms. Baloch had combined her beauty and bold views with the internet to produce a unique fearless celebrity that generations of Pakistanis had not seen before. She billed herself as a “one-woman army that would fight back no matter how many times I am pushed down.â€
As soon as the news of Ms. Baloch’s slaying spread, more than 800 Pakistani journalists, activists and professionals signed a Change.org petition called “No Country for Bold Women.†They described Ms. Baloch as a “rebel, an artist, and a gutsy feminist provocateur who brilliantly exposed the hypocrisies of a patriarchal society dominated by a narrow-minded, self-righteous moral police.†The signatories demanded accountability and justice. I signed the petition and invite you to sign it here.
Baloch was a self-made struggling female artist who refused to be manipulated by male directors and producers in the showbiz industry.
While the whole country talked about Ms. Baloch’s shocking killing, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has not spoken up against this tragedy yet and this reflects a lack of commitment on his part toward ending the so-called “honor killings†in the country.
Ms. Baloch used every social media platform, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube, to engage millions of her followers. All followers were certainly not fans. She had more detractors than admirers. Men and women with