Qandeel Baloch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fouzia Azeem
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Qandeel Baloch in 2014
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| Born |
Fouzia Azeem
1 March 1990 |
| Died | 15 July 2016 (aged 26) |
| Resting place | Shah Sadar Din |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Other names | Qandeel Baloch |
| Occupation | Social media celebrity, model, actress, singer |
| Years active | 2013–2016 |
| Spouse(s) | Aashiq Hussain (m. 2008) |
| Children | 1 |
Fouzia Azeem (Urdu: فوزیہ عظیم; 1 March 1990 – 15 July 2016), known by her stage name Qandeel Baloch (Urdu: قندیل بلوچ), was a Pakistani model, actress, social media celebrity and activist. She was the country's first social media celebrity. 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.
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. 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.
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Early life
Qandeel was born on 1 March 1990 in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab into an Ethnic Baloch family. She hailed from Shah Sadar Din. She came from an underprivileged family, the daughter of Anwar Bibi and Muhammad Azeem, who scratched a living from local farming. She had 6 brothers and 2 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.
Career
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. Some international news media compared her to Kim Kardashian. 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.
Baloch 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.
As her media presence grew, Baloch began to use her position to comment on women's position in Pakistani society. The week before she died, she released a music video entitled Ban, which mocked the restrictions placed on women in the country. In an interview with controversial anchor Mubashir Luqman, Baloch named Sunny Leone, Rakhi Sawant and Poonam Pandey as her inspirations. She also said that many organizations, people and media groups were calling her to feature in their shows to increase their own ratings.
Personal life
In 2008, at age 17, Baloch was married to a local man named Aashiq Hussain, her mother's cousin. The couple had a son. After two years of marriage, Baloch fled. She left her son with his father and moved to Karachi.
Death
On 15 July 2016, Qandeel Baloch was killed by her brother M. Waseem at her parents' home in Multan for bringing disrepute to [...] family's honour. Her death was reported by her father Azeem.
In September 2019, Baloch's brother Waseem was sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder.
Waseem was released three years after he had been convicted of killing his sister.
Reactions
Baloch's murder was widely condemned by media celebrities and people around the globe, while many in Pakistan were more inclined to support her murder. Several personalities, including Madonna, Khloé Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rakhi Sawant, Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sharmila Farooqi, Reham Khan, Sanam Baloch, Osman Khalid Butt, Meesha Shafi, Nadia Hussain, Ali Zafar, along with many others condemned the incident.
British Prime Minister Theresa May also condemned the murder.
See also
In Spanish: Qandeel Baloch para niños
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- Samia Sarwar
- Death of Samia Shahid
- Ayman Udas
- Tara Fares
