ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Monday acquitted slain social media sensation Qandeel Baloch’s brother who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her, local media reported.
Qandeel, 26, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, shot to fame through her videos on social media. She was found dead at her parents’ home in Multan in 2016.
In 2019, a Multan court sentenced her brother, Waseem Baloch, to life imprisonment. He had since been serving his sentence at the Multan Central Jail.
Waseem’s lawyer appealed his conviction in the Lahore High Court’s Multan bench. In Monday’s hearing, his counsel argued the trial court ignored the affidavit submitted by Qandeel’s parents, which stated they had forgiven the accused, SAMAA TV reported.
“The father of the victim has died,” the report quoted Waseem’s lawyer as contending.
“The witnesses in the case have also deviated from their statements in the trial court,” he said, requesting the court to quash the sentence.
Justice Sohail Nasir acquitted Waseem after listening to the arguments.
A detailed verdict issued by the trial court in 2019 said the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond shadow of reasonable doubt through cogent, convincing and inspiring evidence against the accused for committing qatl-i-amd (willful murder) of his sister Fouzia Azeem alias Qandeel Baloch in shape of proving his presence at the place of occurrence, in shape of judicial confession corroborated with positive results of his DNA, according to the report.
“He is held guilty of committing qatl-i-amd of his sister,” the verdict read.
At the time, Qandeel’s brother Waseem confessed to having killed her “because she brought dishonor to the Baloch name” with her social media videos and statements.
The court had freed five other suspects, including cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi, Qandeel’s brother Aslam Shaheen, Haq Nawaz, Abdul Basit and Mohammad Zafar Hussain, in the case.
In August 2019, Qandeel’s parents submitted an affidavit in the court, stating they had forgiven the killers and wanted the case against their sons to be disposed of.
The affidavit mentioned that the Anti-Honour Killing Laws (Criminal Amendment Bill) 2015 — which prevents killers from walking free after being pardoned by the victim’s relatives — was passed months after Qandeel was murdered and can, therefore, not be applied to her murder case.
Pakistani court acquits brother convicted of murdering social media starlet
https://arab.news/ywfg7
Pakistani court acquits brother convicted of murdering social media starlet
- Qandeel Baloch was strangled in 2016 for bringing ‘dishonor’ on the family through her videos
- In 2019, court sentenced her brother Waseem to life imprisonment after he confessed to murder
Pakistan mulls 'Super App' for public services, document verification in major technology push
- Pakistan has been urging technology adoption in public, private sectors as it seeks to become a key tech player globally
- The country this month launched the Indus AI Week to harness technology for productivity, skills development and innovation
KARACHI: Pakistan is planning to launch a “Super App” to deliver public services and enable digital document verification, the country's information technology (IT) minister said on Sunday, amid a major push for technology adoption in public and private sectors.
Pakistan, a country of 240 million people, seeks to become a key participant in the global tech economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness advanced technologies for productivity, skills development and innovation.
The country's information and communications technology (ICT) exports hit a record $437 million in Dec. last year, according to IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. This constituted a 23% increase month on month and a 26% increase year on year.
Pakistan's technology sector is also advancing in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, marked by the launch of Pakistan’s first sovereign AI cloud in November, designed to keep sensitive data domestic and support growth in the broader digital ecosystem.
“In developed countries, citizens can access all government services from a mobile phone,” Fatima said, announcing plans for the Super App at an event in Karachi where more than 7,000 students had gathered for an AI training entrance test as part of the ‘Indus AI Week.’
“We will strive to provide similar facilities in the coming years.”
Khawaja said the app will reduce the need for in-person visits to government offices such as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The Indus AI Week initiative, which ran from Feb. 9 till Feb. 15. was aimed at positioning Pakistan as a key future participant in the global AI revolution, according to the IT minister.
At the opening of the weeklong initiative, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan would invest $1 billion in AI by 2030 to modernize the South Asian nation’s digital economy.
“These initiatives aim to strengthen national AI infrastructure and make the best use of our human resource,” Khawaja said, urging young Pakistanis to become creators, inventors and innovators rather than just being the consumers of technology.
