PAKISTANI police say they have arrested a Muslim cleric for alleged involvement in the murder of social media model Qandeel Baloch.

She was found strangled in her home in the city of Multan last year after posting racy pictures on Facebook of herself with the cleric, Mufti Mohammad Qawi.

Her murder is among Pakistan’s recent cases of so-called honour killings. Nearly 1,000 Pakistani women are killed by close relatives each year for violating conservative norms on love and marriage.

Baloch’s brother Wasim Azeem has confessed to her murder is being tried in a Multan court.

Senior police officer Mohammad Fahad said the cleric was arrested as he tried to flee Multan. Some of his phone calls were traced to another brother of Baloch around the time of her killing.