Qandeel murder case: Mufti Qavi remanded into police custody for four days

MULTAN: The court on Thursday remanded into police custody Mufti Abdul Qavi, the accused in Qandeel Baloch murder case who was arrested yesterday after his bail was dismissed.

Judicial magistrate Pervez Khan, after hearing the plea to remand the suspect into police custody for 14 days, issued orders to hand over the suspect to Multan police on a four-day physical remand. 

Police managed to nab Mufti Abdul Qavi from the Punjab Highway on Wednesday after his arrest orders were issued by a court hearing the Qandeel Baloch murder case.

Multan Cantt SP Dr Fahad said the police, with the aid of highway authorities, nabbed Qavi while he was travelling to Jhang.

The sessions court hearing the model and social media icon's murder case had earlier dismissed the cleric's bail request and ordered police to arrest him for failing to cooperate with the prosecution.

Talking to Geo News in the premises of the court yesterday, Qavi had said that he had nothing to do with the murder and "the judge is also aware of that". He, however, had said that he would accept the court’s decision. 

Qandeel Baloch murder 

Qandeel Baloch, who shot to fame for her "bold" selfies that polarised Pakistan, was allegedly strangled in July 2016 by her brother Muhammad Waseem.

In his confession, Waseem claimed she had brought shame on the family and owned up to his crime in a press conference after his arrest.

Prior to her death, Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, spoke of worries about her safety and had appealed to the interior ministry to provide her with security.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf suspended Mufti Abdul Qavi’s membership of Ruet-i-Hilal Committee after Baloch released pictures of herself with the cleric in a hotel room weeks before her murder, wearing his hat and pouting.

She had accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

"I thought I would expose him as he is in reality," she told AFP at the time, adding: "He is a different person alone and different when he has his followers around him."

She had faced frequent abuse and death threats.

The so-called 'honour-killing' had sent shockwaves across the country and triggered an outpouring of grief on social media for Baloch.