Qandeel Baloch

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Fouzia Azeem
Qandeel Baloch in 2014
Born
Fouzia Azeem

(1990-03-01)1 March 1990
Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Other namesQandeel Baloch
Occupation(s)Social media celebrity, model, actress, singer
Years active2013-present
SpouseAashiq Hussain (m. 2008)
Children1

Fouzia Azeem (Urdu: فوزیہ عظیم; 1 March 1990 known by her stage name Qandeel Baloch (Urdu: قندیل بلوچ), is a Pakistani model, actress, social media celebrity and activist. She is the country's first social media celebrity.[1] Azeem rose to prominence due to her videos on social networks discussing her daily routine, her rights as a Pakistani woman, and various controversial issues.[2][3]

Baloch first received recognition from the media in 2013, when she auditioned for Pakistan Idol; her audition became popular and she became an Internet celebrity.[4][5] She is one of the top 10 most searched-for persons on the internet in Pakistan and was both celebrated and criticised for the content of her videos and posts.[6]

Early life[edit]

Qandeel was born on 1 March 1990 in Dera Ghazi Khan District,[7] Punjab into a Baloch family. She hailed from Shah Sadar Din.[7][8] She came from an underprivileged family, the daughter of Anwar Bibi and Muhammad Azeem, who scratched a living from local farming. She had six brothers and two sisters. Growing up, she was interested in her studies, as well as acting and singing. Before her rise to fame, her first job was as a bus hostess.[9]

Career[edit]

Baloch's fame was based on her social media posts – pictures, videos and comments. These were considered bold and outrageous by the largely conservative Pakistani community. Her most popular videos were those of her with her catchphrase "How em luking?" (How am I looking?) and those of her saying "Maire sar mai pain ho raha hai" (my head hurts) in a funny and catchy tone. Her catchphrases became popular and were humorously adopted by Pakistani youth. They also featured dubbing social media site dubsmash and became widely popular among Indian and Pakistani youth alike.[6] Some international news media compared her to Kim Kardashian;[10] however, local commentators stated that she was more significant than Kardashian, as Baloch "went against the norms of society" and lived life on her own terms.[11] She started to appear on Pakistani talk shows regularly by 2014, either to perform songs or to discuss her rising social media popularity. She participated in "Desi Kuriyan (season 4)" as a contestant. She also served as digital manager at Neptuner Web Solutions.[12]

In June 2016, Baloch met senior cleric Mufti Abdul Qawi at a hotel to learn more about her faith; the interaction between them brought about mayhem on social media platforms, as their photos became popular online.[13][14][15] She also wore a hat with the Mufti's signature.[16] The meeting led to the Mufti being suspended from his position from one of Pakistan's religious committees, and to Baloch being a regular on popular Pakistani current affairs and news programmes. She appeared on various popular Pakistani TV shows with senior anchors such as Mubashir Lucman. She would mostly be on talk shows debating with religious scholars on her western and controversial acts and lifestyle.[17]

A previous stunt which became popular on social media was her promise to strip dance for her followers and to dedicate her dance to cricketer Shahid Afridi if Pakistan won the Twenty20 match against India on 19 March 2016. She released a teaser on social media, which became popular, but Pakistan lost the match.[18] Some Indian media compared her to Poonam Pandey.[19][20]

As her media presence grew, Baloch began to use her position to comment on women's position in Pakistani society. The week before she was murdered, she released a music video entitled Ban, which mocked the restrictions placed on women in the country.[17] In an interview with controversial anchor Mubashir Luqman, Baloch named Sunny Leone, Rakhi Sawant and Poonam Pandey as her inspirations.[21] She also said that many organizations, people and media groups were calling her to feature in their shows to increase their own ratings.

Security concerns[edit]

Following the June 2016 meeting with Qawi, Qandeel held a press conference and reported that she received death threats both from him and from others, and demanded police protection from the state.[17][22] At the end of June, images of Baloch's passport and national identity card were broadcast on the news, showing her hometown and father's name.[23]

At around the same time, Baloch's ex-husband described in the media their brief marriage, revealing intimate details of their relationship. Baloch claimed her husband had been abusive, and cried publicly about the pain of the marriage.[11] Around 14 July 2016, Baloch spoke by phone to a reporter from the Express Tribune and stated that she feared for her life.[17] She told the reporter that she had sought protection from the police but on receiving no response, had decided to move abroad with her parents after the Eid al-Fitr holidays as she felt unsafe in Pakistan.[9]

Personal life[edit]

In 2008, at age 17, Baloch was married to a local man named Aashiq Hussain, her mother's cousin.[24][25] She had a son with him.[9][26] Her husband beat and tortured her, and after two years of marriage, she fled. (Baloch's mother, when preparing her daughter's body for her funeral, found cigarette burns on her arms.)[27] She left her son with his father and moved to Karachi.[28]

 


 

In Popular Culture[edit]

In 2016, MangoBaaz reported that Qandeel Baloch was the most Googled person in Pakistan. 2016.[29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bahuguna, Urvashi (12 May 2018). "'Only after her murder was Qandeel Baloch praised as a feminist, as a modern Pakistani woman'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ Raza, Sarah; Rehman, Ayesha (9 September 2015). "Self proclaimed drama queen: Qandeel Baloch". Samaa TV.
  3. ^ Alam, Zainab B. (2020). "Do-it-Yourself Activism in Pakistan: The Fatal Celebrity of Qandeel Baloch". Perspectives on Politics. 18 (1): 76–90. doi:10.1017/S1537592719002408. ISSN 1537-5927. S2CID 201390494.
  4. ^ "Hilarious audition of Qandeel Baloch In Pakistan Idol". ABP Live. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Desperate for instant fame, Pakistan model Qandeel Baloch, who had recently made headlines with her antics to gain popularity, now has come with another way of grabbing the limelight". Siasat.pk. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Qandeel Baloch murder: This video gives an insight into the Pakistani model's life". 16 July 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  7. ^ a b Sindhu, Haider Ali (23 June 2016). "Qandeel's Cinderella story: How a bus hostess from Shadun Lund became controversy queen in Karachi". en.dailypakistan.com.pk.
  8. ^ Chieu Luu; Shazia Bhatti. "Father of slain social media star: 'It is my desire to take revenge'". CNN. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Qandeel Baloch strangled to death by brother in suspected honour killing". The Express Tribune. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  10. ^ Desobeau, Diane (26 February 2016). "To post or not to post". nationthailand. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Pakistan: Anger after honour killing of Qandeel Baloch". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  12. ^ Web Solutions, Neptuner. "digital marketing manager". Neptuner web Solutions.
  13. ^ "When Qandeel Baloch met Mufti Qavi: A guideline on how NOT to learn Islam". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  14. ^ Hussain, Fayyaz. "What really happened when Mufti Abdul Qavi broke his fast with Qandeel Baloch in a hotel?". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Qandeel Baloch claims Mufti Qavi 'hopelessly in love' with her!". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Qandeel Baloch stirs storm with selfies". THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  17. ^ a b c d Saifi, Sophia. "Pakistan social media star killed by brother". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Qandeel Baloch: Pak model to strip if team win WT20 match against India". Hindustan Times. 18 March 2016.
  19. ^ Pandey, Tanushree (16 March 2016). "Someone seems to be going the Poonam Pandey way this #WT20 season. Howzat?". IBN Live.
  20. ^ "Pakistan Got its own Poonam Pandey! Here's What She'll Do If Pak Wins WC '16". Dailybhaskar.com. 17 March 2016.
  21. ^ APDP – All Pakistani Dramas Page (25 March 2016), Khara Sach With Mubashir Luqman 25 March 2016 – Qandeel Baloch Exclusive Interview, retrieved 26 March 2016
  22. ^ "Receiving life-threatening calls from Mufti Qawi, claims Qandeel Baloch". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  23. ^ Maher, Sanam (9 July 2019). "'You'll miss me when I'm gone': the murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Plot thickens: Qandeel Baloch was once married and has a son". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  25. ^ "Qandeel Baloch's ex-husband comes forward with startling claims". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  26. ^ Mohsin, Mahboob (13 July 2016). "Secret marriage of Qandeel Baloch; Mother of seven years old son". 24 News HD. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  27. ^ Sehgal, Peru (January 28, 2010) "Pakistan’s First Social Media Star and the Forces That Enabled Her Murder." New York Times. (Retrieved 28 January 2010.)
  28. ^ "They Wanted Her Body". Longreads. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  29. ^ Amer, Sarmad (14 December 2016). "Pakistan, These Are The People You Googled The Most In 2016". MangoBaaz. MangoBaaz. Retrieved 1 January 2017.

Further reading[edit]

Books
  • A Woman Like Her: The Story Behind the Honor Killing of a Social Media Star, by Sanam Maher (2020, Melville House)
Journal
  • Shenila Khoja-Moolji (2022) Patriarchy as an Assemblage: Qandeel Baloch, Male Domination and Feminist Publics in Pakistan, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00856401.2021.1969138
Media

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Qandeel_Baloch&oldid=1221650340"