Mufti Qavi granted bail in Qandeel murder case
ISLAMABAD: Mufti Abdul Qavi, who faces charges of involvement in themurderofmodelandactorqandeel Baloch granted bail by a Multan court on Tuesday.
District and Sessions Judge Ameer Mohammad Khan bailed him out on a Rs200,000 (Dh1 is equal to Pak Rs28) surety after listening to the argument of his counsel, Akbar Bhutta. Azeem, Qandeel’s father,wasalsopresentduringthehearing.
Bhutta later told reporters that his client would be released any time after the acceptance of his bail plea.
Qandeel was strangled to death by her brother Muhammad Waseem and cousin Haq Nawaz in the name of “honour” in July last year, weeks after posting selies with Qavi on social media.
Qavi was arrested last month after a court rejected extension to his pre-arrest bail. The police declared Qavi as a suspect in the case at the request of Azeem.
Azeem alleged that his daughter was killed on Qavi’s orders and that the cleric had offered him money to drop charges against him.
Qandeel was found strangled to death in her house in Multan’s Karimabad area on July 16, 2016. At that time, her father hadclaimedthatshewaskilledbywaseem, her younger brother.
Waseem was arrested by the police in Dera Ghazi Khan later that night and confessed to killing her sister in the name of “honour.” Waseem confessed to have drugged and strangled her.
Two more accused in the case, taxi driver Basit and Aslam Shaheen, another brother of the deceased, are on bail, while Arif,yetanotheraccused,hadbeendeclared a proclaimed offender.
Qandeel’sselieswithqaviwentviralon social media, causing a nationwide furore, after which the cleric’s membership of the Ruet-e-hilal Committee and the National Ulema Mushaikh Council was suspended.