Qandeel Baloch's tragic death reminds us of Pakistan-born starlet Laila Khan's murder

One was killed for ‘honour’, the other for the more ’earthly’ consideration of property. But the deaths of Pakistani model Qandeel Baloch is a strange reminder of the gruesome end of another starlet from across the border, who hoped to make it big in Bollywood: Laila Khan. Pakistan-born Khan was seen in all of one Bollywood film — Rajesh Khanna’s ill-fated Wafaa. [caption id=“attachment_2897180” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Laila Khan (L); Qandeel Baloch[/caption] It was supposed to be the film that would have given Khanna’s career a new innings; instead, it sank without a trace at the box office, and took with it, Laila Khan’s chances of making an impression in the industry. For several years after the film, there was no news of Khan. It was presumed that like other actresses who tried, but couldn’t make it through to the big leagues in Bollywood — Meera, Veena Malik — Khan had returned home, or found another career, or married. Then in 2011, Khan’s father reported that he hadn’t heard from his daughter or his ex-wife in a while and was unable to trace them. He went on to file a missing person’s report with the police. In 2012, the Mumbai Police did find Laila — or rather, her remains. She had been killed — along with her mother, sisters and brother — by her step-father Pervez Tak, and the bodies were buried at their farmhouse at Igatpuri, near Mumbai. Tak, who confessed to killing Laila and five other members of her family, said he had arguments with Laila’s mother Saleena in regard to her closeness to her second husband, an Asif Shaikh, and the family’s “un-Islamic” lifestyle. Laila and her siblings, Tak said, had witnessed the crime and had to be killed. Police later said that Tak had made away with a fair bit of money from Khan’s family after he murdered them. Qandeel Baloch may not have been murdered for her property, or because she witnessed a crime. But just like Laila Khan, her life too was cut short, long before it needed to be, because of the whims of one man. Also read on Firstpost: _Pakistani model Qandeel Baloch murdered in suspected 'honour killing'_ _Who was Qandeel Baloch? Murdered Pakistani model made career as social media sensation_