June 1, 2024
By Bilal Baseer
MANSEHRA
When 21 year old Laiba Farooq returned home from her work at a beauty salon on the evening of May 20, no one knew she would never see the light of day again. Eyewitness statements provided to the police reveal that the young woman had returned to her rented apartment when a man fired at her with a pistol, leaving her with severe abdominal injuries. Some of the neighbours instantly rushed her to the hospital but Laiba could not be saved.
The others apprehended the attacker before he could flee. It was therefore shocking that he turned out to be none other than Laiba’s own brother Mazhar Shah, who was handed over to the police.
Laiba, a native of a native of Jared village of Balakot was residing temporarily in Qalandarabad, Abbottabad. When she was shot she was returning to her home in Gojri Chowk, Qalandarabad. In his confession, Mazhar Shah said that he had killed his sister because she had brought ‘dishonour’ to their family.
Details were given in the FIR by complainant Ghulam Mustafa, regarding her killing. Mustafa told Voicepk that Laiba was a young and talented girl with ambitions to succeed through education and employment. She started her career working with a doctor in Abbottabad and later moved to the United Kingdom with the family she worked for. After several years abroad, Laiba returned to Pakistan with a desire to acquire new skills. Consequently, she began training in a beauty salon and was living alone in a rented apartment in Qalandarabad.
“She was like a daughter to me, and she remained in touch with me while she was working in Abbottabad and abroad,” says Mustafa. “She had said to meto me, ‘Uncle, I want to come to Pakistan for a few months and learn some skills.’ I arranged a rented house for her on my behalf, and she was living there in peace,” stated Mustafa.
Mustafa said, on May 20th, he received a call from someone who informed him that his niece had been murdered, leaving him shocked beyond measure. First he rushed to the crime scene only to find out she had been shifted to hospital. But when he reached the hospital he found out that she was fighting for her last breath.
He says, her family perceived it ‘disgraceful’ that a girl from their family was working outside. They had warned her to quit time after time, but she had continued with the job and her lifestyle.
“After her death from the injuries, I initiated the police procedure by filing a written application, leading to the registration of an FIR,” said Mustafa. “We transported her dead body to the funeral, accompanied by several female relatives from Qalandarabad along with her sister and mother whom I had contacted. We had to transport her deceased body via ambulance as no family members were available to oversee her burial. Worried about the lack of assistance for her funeral, the females in our group were ready to perform the rites themselves. However, upon our arrival at her village, we were grateful to receive support from villagers who assisted us in preparing her grave and conducting the necessary funeral rites. We laid her to rest in her village before returning home,” he recollected.
FACING TRIAL
According to Muhammad Shakeel, the Station House Officer (SHO) Mangal, the accused have been arrested and were now under judicial custody following physical remands with the recovery of a firearm from one of them. Mazhar, during interrogation, admitted to the killing while citing his family’s shame over his sister’s alleged marriage against their wishes, although subsequent findings suggested otherwise.
“The challan has been prepared by recording testimonies of eyewitnesses and gathering other pieces of evidence. It will soon be presented in court to initiate the trial and seek justice for Laiba,” the SHO added.
Meanwhile, expressing concerns for his own safety, Ghulam Mustafa voiced apprehensions about potential threats to his life as he seeks justice for Laiba reportedly murdered by her family. He called upon the government to ensure his security and demanded justice for the deceased while advocating for harsh penalties for those responsible.
Last year in November, another case took place in Mansehra, when a young girl was killed for honour, by members of her own family after a video featuring her went viral on social media. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed its shock at the incident and stated that the fact that the murder was sanctioned by a local jirga in Kohistan was a harrowing reminder that violence against women ‘remains deeply accepted in Pakistan and that the state has failed to rein in antiquated means of so-called justice despite the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling that jirga decisions are illegal and unconstitutional.’