Indian filmmaker and photographer Maneesh Singh who spoke to slain Pakistani social media sensation Qandeel Baloch two days before her murder by her own brother Waseem, claims there's a much larger conspiracy behind her death. He has demanded a probe saying that it is not just a case of honour killing. Some clerics and religious fanatics backed by a prominent terrorist group are behind the murder, alleges Maneesh who knew Qandeel whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, for almost two years.
Qandeel's brother strangulated her to death on Friday in Multan in what is suspected to be an honour killing. Says a stunned Maneesh who wanted to cast her in a film based on the true story of a Pakistani actress, "I spoke to her recently. We used to speak on phone 2-3 times a month. She seemed very worried and wanted to come to India and settle down in Mumbai or some other city. She felt her life was under threat. She was also having some financial problems. She had asked me for money on a couple of occasions in the last two months."
Maneesh also informed that he had advised her to look for opportunities on the small screen. "She desperately wanted to do Bigg Boss like another Pakistani actress Veena Malik and kept asking me to speak to Colors and Endemol on her behalf. The earlier news about her entry into Bigg Boss 10 was a publicity stunt masterminded by her. I told her not to do it, but she would not listen," elaborates the director.
"I do not know how she afforded such a lavish lifestyle. She had bought a house and spent a lot on her own grooming. It seems she had a rich boyfriend in Dubai, but I am not sure. But she was desperate to leave Pakistan. She knew that her days were numbered if she stayed back. She told me that some religious fanatics had issued a supari or fatwa against her," says Maneesh.
What is more shocking to Maneesh is a statement by Mufti Abdul Qavi who was recently suspended from the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee membership after his provocative selfies with Qandeel. Mufti said that the murder of the model was a lesson for others. "No one should make mockery of the Ulema. This is a lesson for all," reacted Mufti.
Qandeel's family is not financially well-off. "I won't be surprised if her brother was "paid" by some fanatic forces in Pakistan to kill his sister," says the director currently busy with two Tamil films.
Qandeel has been in the news after videos of her twerking to a song were deemed objectionable. Few days ago, a man called Aashiq Hussain claiming to be her husband alleged that she had taken money from him and abandoned their son in his care and had been married previously. The late model said that the marriage with Aashiq was troubled and her first marriage was held when she was only 17 without her consent.
Meanwhile a Peshawar-based tailor named Shahid Baloch told Dunya News that he too was married to her.
When Valentine's Day was declared to be against Pakistani culture and people were warned against its celebration, Qandeel had donned a red dress and posted a V-Day message for her social media followers. "Even at that time, I told her to be careful. Pakistan is not India or the West, I had said, but she only laughed out loudly. She claimed that she knew some influential people and politicians in Pakistan. 'They all want to meet me privately', she told me. I just asked her to be careful," reveals Maneesh.
As per media reports, Qandeel left for an undisclosed location in Multan and was keen on leaving the country with her parents once things calmed down. But destiny had something else written for her.
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