Published 23 Jul, 2016 05:29pm

After Qandeel's murder, frustrated Pakistanis express their outrage through videos

It's been a week since rising social media sensation Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother in Multan.

Reactions to her death were swift, with condemnation pouring in from all over Pakistan.

Also read: Qandeel Baloch is dead because we hate women who don't conform

However, a fair amount of people also expressed the view that Qandeel had placed herself in harm's way by making videos that pushed the boundaries of what's acceptable entertainment fare in Pakistan.

These same people have been accused of victim blaming — especially by those who have chosen to take to Qandeel's favoured medium, social media, to voice their perspective.

These video monologues, recorded after Qandeel's death, make some valid (and also controversial) points. Watch here:

1) The one on "the Qandeel Baloch phenomenon"

33-year-old Sidra Khan from Peshawar runs the 'Zamunga Khuwende - Our Sisters page' and made this video. She says: "In a society where the word 'sex' is such a taboo, men found her [Qandeel's] open sexy attitude as a release for their own sexual frustrations... Qandeel was just holding a mirror and showing society its reality."

Talking to Images about what she sees as a double standard in Pakistani society, one which Qandeel successfully exposed, Khan adds: "You could say they [Qandeel's viewers] are there to enjoy the video but they also hate that about themselves. In turn, they hated Qandeel for showing them who they actually are."

2) The one where Junaid Akram slammed some haters

“Why has our society collectively placed honour between the legs of a woman?” asks video blogger and comedian Junaid Akram in his video. Akram too talks about double standards, saying our society looks to women to 'uphold' honour but turns a blind eye to men and women who commit dishonorable acts like corruption and terrorism in Pakistan.

In his eyes, the murder of Qandeel Baloch has been committed by people who wished death upon her.

3) The one where Waqar Zaka made some surprising revelations

In this nearly 9 minute video, the VJ calls out men (and women, he mentions Bushra Ansari) who insult women like Qandeel and ridicule them online. He adds that Qandeel's haters hadn't been forced to watch her videos or follow her on social media but they did so anyway and that's on them.

He also revealed that Baloch had been tried to break into the industry since 2004, when she would sing hymns, but no one spoke about her then or gave her any positive attention or a break. He claims that she resorted to sharing her life on social media because she had exhausted other options. He repeatedly states, "You did this to her."

Never thought we'd say this but Waqar Zaka actually makes sense.

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