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| Alleged 'honour' killing victim was murdered, Pakistani police confirm | Alleged 'honour' killing victim was murdered, Pakistani police confirm |
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| Police in Pakistan have confirmed that a woman from Bradford, whose husband believes was the victim of a so-called “honour” killing, was murdered. | |
| Samia Shahid, 28, died last month in northern Punjab. Her husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazam, said he believed his wife, who was in Pakistan to visit relatives, was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage. | Samia Shahid, 28, died last month in northern Punjab. Her husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazam, said he believed his wife, who was in Pakistan to visit relatives, was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage. |
| Shahid’s family – who deny Kazam’s claims – initially said she had died of a heart attack, but police said that forensic reports showed she had been strangled. | Shahid’s family – who deny Kazam’s claims – initially said she had died of a heart attack, but police said that forensic reports showed she had been strangled. |
| “The report says that she neither committed suicide nor did she die a natural death,” police spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar told Reuters. “She died of asphyxia after her breathing was choked, which leads to the possibility she was murdered. Now the team will carry out investigations along the lines that this is a murder.” | “The report says that she neither committed suicide nor did she die a natural death,” police spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar told Reuters. “She died of asphyxia after her breathing was choked, which leads to the possibility she was murdered. Now the team will carry out investigations along the lines that this is a murder.” |
| Ghazanfar said a forensic report on Shahid’s death had been released to a three-member investigative committee set up by the chief minister of Punjab and led by deputy inspector general of police Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh. No arrests have been made in the case, though Shahid’s father, Mohammad, and a cousin, Mobeen, have been interviewed by police. | Ghazanfar said a forensic report on Shahid’s death had been released to a three-member investigative committee set up by the chief minister of Punjab and led by deputy inspector general of police Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh. No arrests have been made in the case, though Shahid’s father, Mohammad, and a cousin, Mobeen, have been interviewed by police. |
| Shahid’s husband claimed she was killed because she divorced her first husband – a cousin she had married in an arranged service – and married Kazam, moving to Dubai with him in 2014. Shahid converted from the Sunni to the Shia school of Islam when the pair married. | Shahid’s husband claimed she was killed because she divorced her first husband – a cousin she had married in an arranged service – and married Kazam, moving to Dubai with him in 2014. Shahid converted from the Sunni to the Shia school of Islam when the pair married. |
| Police did not treat Shahid’s death as suspicious and a first postmortem reported there were no marks on her body, but a murder inquiry was launched last week and a new team of investigators put in charge of the case. Photographs of the body, seen by the media, appear to show a 19cm-long bruise on her neck. | Police did not treat Shahid’s death as suspicious and a first postmortem reported there were no marks on her body, but a murder inquiry was launched last week and a new team of investigators put in charge of the case. Photographs of the body, seen by the media, appear to show a 19cm-long bruise on her neck. |
| Kazam has travelled to Pakistan to put pressure on the authorities to investigate Shahid’s death. Naz Shah, the local MP in Bradford, said he was under 24-hour police protection after receiving death threats. | Kazam has travelled to Pakistan to put pressure on the authorities to investigate Shahid’s death. Naz Shah, the local MP in Bradford, said he was under 24-hour police protection after receiving death threats. |
| Shah has written to the Pakistani authorities to demand a proper investigation into her constituent’s death, raising fears that there could be a cover-up. Kazam has said he fears Shahid’s family will use their local power to hush up the investigation. | Shah has written to the Pakistani authorities to demand a proper investigation into her constituent’s death, raising fears that there could be a cover-up. Kazam has said he fears Shahid’s family will use their local power to hush up the investigation. |
| More than 1,096 “honour” killings were reported in Pakistan last year, though the actual number of victims is likely to be far higher. | More than 1,096 “honour” killings were reported in Pakistan last year, though the actual number of victims is likely to be far higher. |