Pakistani cleric arrested in social media star's murder

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Police on Wednesday arrested a controversial cleric in the murder case of social media star and model Qandeel Baloch in southeastern Pakistan, officials said.

Mufti Abdul Qavi was arrested after the local court rejected his bail request, Fahad Ahmed, a local police officer in Multan city, told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

Baloch was killed by her brother Muhammad Waseem in an honor killing incident last July when she was visiting her parents in Multan.

Days before the murder, Baloch took selfies with the cleric and uploaded them on social media. The pictures, in which she posed with the cleric's cap and sat close to him on an armchair, created nationwide uproar.

The government also suspended Qavi’s membership from the Islamic moon-sighting body after reaction from the public over the pictures.

Later, in several interviews to local media outlets, Baloch’s parents accused Qavi of instigating the murder.

Qandeel Baloch shot to fame in Pakistan after a series of bold and suggestive social media posts. After her death she became a symbol of resistance in the largely patriarchal social structure of Pakistan.