Women's rights advocates and activists in Pakistan are distraught over the impending acquittal of a Pakistani man who murdered his sister in July 2016. Muhammed Waseem strangled his sister, Qandeel Baloch, and was sentenced to life imprisonment after confessing to the murder.

Sardar Mahboob, the lawyer representing Azeem and his family, said Azeem's parents appealed to Pakistan's court for his release. Mahboob claimed that Azeem has never shown remorse for the murder of his sister and is still poised to be acquitted. His parent's forgiveness and Azeem's retraction of his confession can trigger the acquittal to proceed, Mahboob added.

Pakistan's Islamic laws allow pardon for a convicted murderer if the victim's family forgives the perpetrator. Mahboob said Azeem "could walk out of prison after his conviction if his parents forgave him," the Guardian reported.

Anwar Bibi, the mother of the victim and the murderer, embraced the court order with a sundry of emotions. "I am happy over the acquittal of my son, but we are still sad for our daughter's loss," she said.

In a country steeped with patriarchal sentiments and plagued with honor killings, Qandeel Baloch's murder triggered stricter laws against such cases. In the same year, Pakistani lawmakers passed a law intended to close the loophole that allows perpetrators to bypass penalties.

Nighat Dad, a women's rights activist who has been following Baloch's murder case, blames the state for allowing the acquittal despite the harsher laws. "The state was a party in the case, and it is responsible and answerable to us," she said. The court, however, pointed out that the “Anti-Honor Killing Laws” were passed months after the murder and, therefore, can not be applied to the case.

Waseem said he murdered his sister because of her "intolerable behavior," and her public actions have dishonored her family. Their parents initially said they would never forgive their son for killing his sister. In August 2019, they submitted an affidavit stating that they had forgiven their son and urged the court to close the case.

Hailed as the "Kim Kardashian of Pakistan," Baloch's murder reverberated throughout conservative Pakistan. Women see her as someone who lives her life on her own terms and as a symbol against Pakistan's patriarchal society.

As of the writing of this article, Waseem's expected release date has not yet been made public.