In an official notification, the Federal Ministry for Religious Affairs has annulled Mufti Abdul Qavi's membership of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

The decision comes after the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Yousaf, on June 22 suspended Mufti Abdul Qavi’s membership of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee. Qavi's pictures with model and Facebook celebrity Qandeel Baloch had surfaced on social media, causing a nationwide furore.

At the time, the minister, who said the photos were 'controversial', had also suspended the mufti’s membership of the National Ulema Mushaikh Council, a spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs said.

The matter of Mufti Abdul Qavi's photos was referred to the National Ulema Mushaikh Council for further proceedings , the spokesperson added.

Model Qandeel Baloch, who shot to fame for her provocative selfies and videos, was strangled in July allegedly by her brother Waseem Azeem.

Earlier in the murder investigation, police had also included the name of Mufti Abdul Qavi as a suspect in the case on the request of Baloch's father, Mohammad Azeem.