August 22, 2022
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
In another gruesome ‘honour’ killing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two brothers shot dead their sister and maternal cousin over suspicion of illicit relations in Haripur.
According to local reports, brothers Khushal, Baidar and their cousin Mohammad Asif opened fire on Muhammad Imran and their sister at their home in Makhan Colony in the city on August 20, killing them on the spot. News of the double murder spread panic in the area. Police immediately reached the scene of the crime and shifted the bodies for autopsy to a local hospital.
In the first investigation report (FIR), Imran’s brother told police that the deceased woman’s husband had called Imran to their house over the phone. Upon reaching, Imran had a verbal spat with the brothers who were also present there over a domestic issue. Subsequently, Khushal, Baidar and their cousin Mohammad Asif opened fire on Imran, killing him.
Imran’s brother further stated that the suspects later also shot dead their sister to paint the incident as an honour killing. The accused brothers, who were residing in Karachi for work, had recently returned home. Taking notice of the murders, the district police chief directed police officials to conduct raids to arrest the accused.
One of the accused, Asif, was arrested while brothers Khushal and Baidar are still at large.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is seeing a surge in honour killings in the province. Last week, two sisters and another woman said to be their friend were gunned down in a Peshawar village in the name of ‘honour’. In February, a woman and her suitor was shot dead under the pretext of honour in Mardan.
