State files appeal against acquittal in Qandeel Baloch case

Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Bokhari on Thursday said that the state has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the acquittal in the Qandeel Baloch murder case.

Taking to her official Twitter handle, Maleeka stated that the apex court had the opportunity to set an important “precedent in cases of such brutal murder”.

She further said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan continued to stand for the protection of the rights of women and girls.

On February 14, the LHC’s Multan bench abolished the life imprisonment of the accused after witnesses deviated from their statements in the trial court and Qandeel’s mother submitted a reconciliation agreement stipulating parental pardon.

Read Acquittal of Qandeel's brother challenged in SC

Waseem was accused of strangulating his sister in the name of honour. He was arrested in July 2016 and awarded life imprisonment on September 27, 2019, by a court in Multan. At a news conference in 2016, Waseem had admitted that he strangled his 26-year-old sister due to her social media activities.

Referring to the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) acquittal of the prime suspect and brother of Qandeel Baloch in her murder case, Maleeka had earlier said that the murder of innocent women under “the false pretext of honour” and decisions which “disregard evidence and are premised upon the weak interpretation of the law cannot be allowed”.