The Price of an Honor in Pakistan is a Women's Life: The painful Story of a Qandeel Baloch

Whenever we raise our voices for gender equality and women's empowerment, each of us carries a story deep within our hearts. Unfortunately, when we speak about gender equality and women's empowerment in Pakistan, we do not carry just one story—we carry countless stories of women who lost their lives, not because of natural death, but because of the atrocities committed against them by the men in their own families: fathers, brothers, husbands, and, sadly, even sons. These crimes are committed in the name of so-called "honor," a practice that is completely against the true teachings of Islam.

One such story is that of Qandeel Baloch, who was murdered on 15 July 2016 in the name of the brutal societal norm of so-called honor killing.

Today, I want to share the pain that continues to haunt the women of Pakistan. Only God knows how many more years—or, unfortunately, even centuries—women in this country may continue to endure this suffering. The constant fear of violence and atrocities against women has often led me to pray:

"Dear God, please stop sending women to this land of fear, because it no longer needs a woman as a daughter, a sister, a wife, or a mother. To many, she is treated merely as an object used to hide the crimes and misdeeds of others."

The story of Qandeel Baloch is just one among countless stories of atrocities against women in South Asia. To understand the pain carried by so many women, let us look at the life of Qandeel Baloch.

Qandeel Baloch was born in 1990 in a small village in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. At a young age, she was married, but the marriage ended in divorce. Instead of becoming her source of protection and support, her father refused to accept her back into the family home and ordered her to return to her former husband. This decision was not only heartbreaking but also contrary to the teachings of Islam. Once a marriage has legally ended, a woman is not required to return to her former husband merely to satisfy social expectations or avoid criticism.

Sadly, her father failed in his responsibility to become the safe haven and protector that every daughter deserves.

Yet, despite these hardships, Qandeel refused to give up. She was courageous, determined, and full of dreams. With hope in her eyes and courage in her heart, she left home to build a better future. She aspired to work in the media industry, but because she came from an underprivileged background, no one was willing to give her an opportunity.

Instead of surrendering to rejection, she created her own path. Through social media, she built her own identity and eventually became a national sensation. However, with fame came relentless criticism. Many conservative voices condemned her for challenging traditional norms, making her the target of constant judgment and hostility.

With the fame she immediately gained, she became a voice for women whose position in Pakistani society had long been ignored. At one point in time, she even met with Mufti Abdul Qavi, a member of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and the National Ulema Council in June 2016. This meeting caused a public sensation. Mufti was suspended from his position, and media reports and investigations claimed that he had instigated her brother. Sadly, she was murdered on July 15, 2016. Even more tragically, in February 2022, her brother, Waseem, was acquitted after their parents pardoned him.

Women's blood is perhaps the cheapest thing in Pakistan. It can be spilled in the name of "honor," while a man's blood is considered so precious that it can be protected even at the cost of his daughter's life.

I want to place this case before the court of the World Pulse audience. Who bears responsibility for the atrocities committed against that innocent soul? What drove her to become a rebel against societal norms?

I want to ask, which segment of society is to blame for these heinous crimes against women. Was it the conservative segment, represented by figures like Mufti Qavi ? Or was it the liberal media industry that refused to give her work? Or was it the institutions entrusted with protecting her and delivering justice—the police and the judiciary? Or, above all, was it her own family, who should have been her first and strongest protectors?

Lastly, it is the failure of the NGOs working for women rights in Pakistan on foreign funding. I want to ask them where their voices stand after February 2022 and when court acquitted her main culprit as founded no guilty??

As we close the story of Qandeel Baloch, I leave you with one question: How many more daughters must be sacrificed before honor is redefined as dignity, freedom, and justice rather than control and violence?

This is not the end of the conversation. It is only the beginning. Every story of an oppressed woman deserves to be heard—not to reopen old wounds, but to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

On 30th July, I will share the story of another courageous daughter of another province of Pakistan:Sindh. Her name reminds me like a blossom flower, GUL BHARO". HER story, too, raises difficult questions about the treatment of women in our society and reminds us that behind every headline is a human life, a family, and a dream that deserved better.

Until then, I invite you to reflect, to discuss, and to ask yourselves: Who must change first—our families, our institutions, or our society? Because only by answering that question can we hope to build a future where no daughter has to pay the price for simply living on her own terms.