Mufti Abdul Qavi today appeared before the sessions court in Multan in Punjab province, some 350-km from Lahore, to seek extension to his bail in the Qandeel murder case.
Later, the judge rejected the application for extension in the cleric’s pre-arrest bail.
Sessions Judge Chaudhry Amin was hearing Qandeel Murder case when he rejected granting bail to Qavi, a plea which was filed through his lawyer.
The pictures of Mufti Qavi with social media star Qandeel Baloch went viral past year.
However, before the judge could announce this decision, Mufti Qavi escaped from the court with the help of a group of lawyers. He was heading to Muzaffargarh when the police arrested him.
Judicial magistrate Mohammad Pervez had issued the warrants after investigation officer Noor Akbar requested the court to do so on the grounds that the cleric was not cooperating with the police.
Mufti Qavi attends court in Multan.
Reportedly, the main suspects in the case, which includes Qandeel’s brother Waseem and Haq Nawaz, were also produced before the court.
Mufti Qavi was on his way to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa when he was arrested on the highway near Jhang.
Entrusting the honourable court for justice, Qavi said that he had no connection with the murder.
Soon after the non-bailable warrants were issued, the counsel for Mufti Qavi had filed a pre-arrest bail application, which the judge had granted against a surety bond of Rs100,000.
Model Qandeel Baloch, who shot to fame for her provocative selfies, was strangled in July previous year by her brother Muhammad Waseem. Her father claimed that she was killed by her younger brother, Waseem, in the name of honour.
Back in 2016, Qandeel took the social media by storm after she posted pictures with Qavi in a hotel room. He said she had brought shame on the family and confessed to his crime in a press conference after his arrest.
Qavi’s selfies had gone viral on social media, causing a nationwide furore, after which the cleric’s membership of the Ruet-i-Hilal committee and the National Ulema Mushaikh Council had been suspended.