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Pakistan Arrests Cleric Over Involvement in Murder of Model

A senior police officer, Mohammad Fahad, says the cleric was arrested as he tried to flee Multan

Pakistani police say they have arrested a Muslim cleric for alleged involvement in the 2016 murder of social media model Qandeel Baloch.

She was found strangled in her home in the city of Multan after posting racy pictures on Facebook of herself with the cleric, Mufti Mohammad Qawi.

Her slaying is among Pakistan's recent cases of so-called honor killings. Nearly 1,000 Pakistani women are killed by close relatives each year for violating conservative norms on love and marriage.

Baloch's brother Wasim Azeem has confessed to her murder. His trial is underway in a Multan court.

A senior police officer, Mohammad Fahad, says the cleric was arrested as he tried to flee Multan. Some of his phone calls were traced to another brother of Baloch around the time of her killing.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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