LHC acquits Main culprit Wasim in Qandeel Baloch case

Multan: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday acquitted the main culprit of the murder of social media personality Qandeel Baloch.

A bench of the LHC acquitted Muhammad Wasim, Qandeel’s brother, who was the key accused in the high profile murder case of the social media star.

The mother of the murder victim as well as the killer, filed an affidavit in the court that culprit Muhammad Wasim has been pardoned.

Justice Sohail Nasir acquitted the accused on basis of an agreement of compromise and deviating witnesses from their statements. 

Accused Wasim was sentenced to life imprisonment by Multan Model Court on September 27, 2019. In the Multan Bench of the LHC, the mother of the accused had filed an affidavit in the court, informing it that she has pardoned the accused.

Counsel for the petitioner told the court that the sessions court had ignored the agreement of compromise. The plaintiff, the accused and the victim's father have died. Witnesses in the case also recanted their statements in the trial court.

A model court in Multan had awarded Muhammad Wasim life imprisonment in the murder case in September 2019. Judge Imran Shafi of Multan model court while announcing the court verdict had acquitted other accused including a prominent cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi.

Five accused were nominated in the high profile murder case. Qandeel Baloch’s brother Wasim had strangled her to death in the so-called honor killing incident at their house on July 15, 2016.

The killer later stated that he killed his sister as she had “brought disgrace to the family”.