ISLAMABAD: The law ministry plans to challenge the acquittal of the brother of social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch of her murder in a 2016 high-profile “honour killing” case that sparked national outrage.

“The state is undertaking a review of legal options in the Qandeel Baloch case in light of law [and Supreme Court] judgments,” Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Maleeka Bokhari tweeted on Saturday.

“Honour killings of women [and] girls is a black mark on our society. Law was amended to ensure murderer of women, whether a ‘celebrity’ or ordinary woman does not walk free.”

Mohammad Waseem, Ms Baloch’s brother, was acquitted by the Lahore High Court earlier this month — a move that was widely reported in national and international media and has been criticised by rights activists.

Waseem’s acquittal on Feb 14 came on the back of some loopholes in the prosecution’s case and because his parents submitted before the court that they had forgiven their son.

Ms Baloch’s parents initially insisted their son would be given no absolution. But they later changed their minds and said they wanted him to be forgiven. However, the trial court disregarded this and went ahead with the sentence.

According to Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Farogh Naseem, amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code and laws related to criminal proceedings had made it impossible for an accused person involved in such a heinous crime to go scot-free.

He said the law provided that the perpetrators were no longer able to seek forgiveness from the victim’s family — sometimes their own family — and to have their sentences commuted.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2022