Sept 4, 2024
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE:
A woman and her husband were shot dead five years after their love marriage in Chichawatni tehsil, Sahilwal district, Punjab province. The woman’s brother and her nephews are suspected of being involved in the killings.
Fakhrat Kausar left her first husband to marry Munir Ahmed, a resident of Chak 118-7DR village in Chichawatni tehsil. The marriage of her choice deeply angered her family. “At the time of Kausar’s second marriage, her brother Saeed Ahmed Baloch was serving a sentence in jail,” a close relative of Munir Ahmed’s told Voicepk.net. He said Saeed came out of prison six months ago, and approached Kausar for reconciliation with the family.
On September 2, the couple was visiting Kausar’s sister’s house in the village. As they were returning home on their motorcycle, they were accosted by Kausar’s brother Baloch, according to the first investigation report (FIR) registered with Kasowal police station.
Along with his nephews Aqib, Saqib, Saifullah, and an unidentified accomplice, Baloch opened fire on the couple, killing them on the spot, stated complainant Khurshid Bibi, mother of Munir Ahmed, in the FIR – “Baloch nursed a grudge against her for marrying out of the clan.”
Aqib and Saqib are sons of Kausar’s second brother Khan Muhammad.
The suspects have been charged under sections 302 (murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), and 149 (offense committed in prosecution of common object) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Police sources said two suspects, Aqib and Saqib, were arrested. However, Amjad, the station house officer of Kasowal police station, refused to confirm the arrests, saying they could not comment as the investigation was in progress.
Asked why Section 311 relating to honour killing was not included in the FIR, the SHO said police were investigating all angles, including that of a property dispute the suspects had with the slain couple.