April 6, 2024
By Nadeem Khan
QUETTA
Relatives of one Syeda Bibi Humaira, who was allegedly murdered by her husband and father-in-law, staged a protest in Quetta against the non-arrest of the accused.
Syed Zoaib Shah, a lawyer by profession and complainant in the case, has appealed to the government to ensure justice for his sister’s brutal murder.
“My sister’s father-in-law and husband strangled her dead. This was made clear in the post-mortem report and there were marks [of torture] on her chest. They also put a pillow over her face to kill her,” he narrated, adding that the Naseerabad DIG initiated an inquiry into the incident outside the scope of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr. P. C). “An FIR has been launched for a murder charge, so just arrest the accused. Under what capacity are they ordering an inquiry?”
Per the FIR of the report, Humaira was married to Syed Shakir Shah a year back and had a daughter together. Some time after the wedding, her husband and in-laws’ attitude toward her changed, and she was subject to mental and physical torture. Zoaib stated that he and their father brought Humaira to Mastung, but her father-in-law Syed Ahsan Shah and several other men assured them they will take care of her.
On April 1, 2024, at 4:05 am, Zoaib alleges he received a phone call from Syed Ahsan Shah who announced that he and his son murdered his sister, and threatened to kill him if he tried to retrieve her body. The complainant claims that the accused said they carried out the gruesome crime as Humaira had allegedly ‘dishonoured’ them in front of their clan.
According to data provided by Aurat Foundation, 38 women were reportedly killed in 2023, of which 15 were honour-killings.
President of the Balochistan Bar Association Rehmatullah Khan called for a thorough and transparent inquiry into Humaira’s murder.
“The transfer of the SHO who was looking at this case be immediately halted, and the illegal inquiry launched after the filing of the FIR should be stopped,” he said.
“The killers are roaming free, they are entertaining guests and uploading their pictures on social media. They have the support of the Naseerabad DIG and the Kacchi district administration,” claimed Syed Altaf Hussain, the organizer of the protest. “If an FIR has been registered, the accused should be arrested so that the girl’s kin can be assured that they were able to attain justice for her.”
The deceased’s kin say that police have yet to arrest the accused due to their political standing. The protest however eventually dispersed after a police delegation assured the demonstrators of a transparent investigation.