Qandeel Baloch death: Brother of social media star arrested in Pakistan over suspected 'honour killing'

The brother of the Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch has been arrested for her murder.

Waseem Baloch, 25, was arrested by police in Dera Ghazi Khan late on Saturday night and has apparently confessed to killing her in the name of "honour".

Qandeel, 26, established herself as a household name in Pakistan for posting bold, sometimes risqué photographs and videos and challenging social norms in a conservative Muslim country.

The Dawn newspaper said her younger brother Waseem confessed to drugging and strangling her in a press conference, saying that she “brought dishonour to the Baloch name”.

“She wasn't aware I was killing her,” Waseem said. “I gave her a tablet and then strangled her.”

City police chief Azhar Akram said Waseem, who runs a local phone shop, fled to Dera Ghazi Khan with two of his friends after killing her and they are currently trying to track down the friends to find out if they were involved.

Quandeel has been compared to Kim Kardashian-West and has divided opinion for appearing on television to speak about female empowerment while dressed in non-traditional clothes.

Qandeel, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, rose to fame after auditioning on Pakistan Idol and went on to generate a large social media fan-base. She often spoke out about the opposition she faced and just last Thursday tweeted: “I will not give up. I will reach for my goal & absolutely nothing will stop me.”

Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, who was among the team that conducted Baloch's autopsy said: “Apparently the lady died of suffocation but final opinion on her death would be possible only after report of chemical examination comes. She might have been given some poisonous substance before being strangled.”

Honour killings are common in Pakistan and it is estimated that nearly 1,000 women are killed by close relatives in Pakistan each year for defying conservative attitudes towards love and marriage.