Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has killed around 150 over the past months
asia5 hours ago
A Pakistani man sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for strangling his sister, a model on social media, was acquitted of murder Monday after his parents pardoned him under Islamic law, an attorney for the man’s family said.
Waseem Azeem was arrested in 2016 after he confessed to killing Qandeel Baloch, 26, for posting what he called “shameful” pictures on Facebook. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison but his parents had sought his release, said Sardar Mahboob, a lawyer who represents Azeem and his family.
Islamic law in Pakistan allows a murder victim’s family to pardon a convicted killer.
Baloch’s murder at the time drew nationwide condemnation, but critics suspected Azeem could walk out of prison after his conviction if his parents forgave him.
Mahboob said Azeem could be freed as early as this week after the completion of paperwork.
The siblings’ mother, Anwar Bibi, welcomed the court order. “I am happy over the acquittal of my son, but we are still sad for our daughter’s loss,” she said.
She told reporters that her slain daughter cannot come back “but I am thankful to the court, which ordered the release of my son at our request.”
Baloch was found strangled in her home near the city of Multan in Punjab province. She was killed after she posted racy pictures on Facebook of herself with a Muslim cleric, Mufti Abdul Qawi, who was later arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder.
ALSO READ:
The cleric was later freed as police said they could not establish a link to the murder.
Nearly 1,000 Pakistani women are murdered by close relatives each year in so-called “honour killings” for violating conservative norms on love and marriage. Such killings are considered murder. But Islamic law in Pakistan allows a murder victim’s family to pardon the killer, which often allows those convicted of honour killings to escape punishment.
Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has killed around 150 over the past months
asia5 hours ago
Imagine if a nurse or doctor didn't feel safe to report an error seen by colleagues — consider how many patients could be at risk
jobs5 hours ago
Trump has plucked a number of presidential appointments from Fox News programs, both in his first term from 2017-2021 and since being elected again on November 5
world6 hours ago
This place also offers golden karak tea for Dh150 and if you want to buy gold-infused water, get ready to shell out Dh300
food6 hours ago
A unified platform for drone operations will also be launched, streamlining registration and operational procedures
uae6 hours ago
The US prosecutor charges are the biggest setback for India's $143 billion Adani Group, which was last year hit by Hindenburg Research's allegations of improper use of offshore tax havens
asia7 hours ago
Launched in 2008, Chrome dominates the browser market, dwarfing rivals Edge and Safari, developed by Microsoft and Apple, respectively
tech8 hours ago
Marcos Jr. begged for understanding of his kababayans in the UAE as he would not have time to meet them
uae8 hours ago