British-Pakistani woman is believed to have been a victim of ‘honor killing.’
Police in Pakistan have charged the ex-husband and father of a British woman believed to have been the victim of an “honor killing” with her murder on Saturday.
Samia Shahid, a dual national, died in July during a visit to her family village in Punjab province. Her second husband, Mukhtar Kazam, claims she was murdered for bringing ‘dishonor’ on her family.
Kazam has said his wife had angered her parents by converting to Shia Islam, his sect, before their wedding.
“We have completed our investigation and concluded that her ex-husband Muhammad Shakeel and father Muhammad Shahid were involved in her killing,” said Abubakar Buksh, deputy inspector general of police in the region. “Her ex-husband has also been charged with raping her,” he told AFP. “The abetment of Samia’s mother and sister in the crime has also been proved but they have fled to the U.K. We have also arrested the chief of the local police station for helping them escape.”
Kazam and Shahid, both dual British-Pakistani citizens, had been married for two years and were living in Dubai.
Shahid’s father has denied the charges, claiming his daughter died of natural causes.
Hundreds of women are murdered by relatives across Pakistan each year on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honor. Rights groups and politicians have for years called for tougher laws to tackle perpetrators of violence against women in Pakistan.