Details Emerge in Alleged Honour Killing Following ‘Jirga’ Decision

RAWALPINDI: New details have surfaced regarding the alleged honour killing of a 19-year-old newlywed girl. According to the first information report (FIR), the victim reportedly left her home with gold jewelry and cash after a decision by a ‘jirga’.

The victim, whose name is being withheld, was married to Zia-ur-Rehman, a resident of Fauji Colony in Pirwadhai who works at a cloth shop in Bara Market. The couple got married in January 2025.

An FIR was filed by the husband on July 21, claiming his wife was abducted. The report stated that on July 11, at approximately 1:20 am, she left the house without informing anyone, taking 10 ‘tolas’ of gold jewelry, Rs150,000 in cash, and her clothes.

Reportedly, on July 17, certain individuals, including one identified as Asmat, brought the deceased to a specific location.

Police have detained close relatives of the victim, including the gravedigger and the secretary of the graveyard committee. The court has mandated the exhumation of the body for further investigative purposes.

Sources indicate that on the night of July 16, the girl was allegedly killed in an honour killing, and her body was secretly buried the next day. Local residents alerted the Pirwadhai Police Station about the suspicious burial on the same day, but immediate action was not taken.

A ‘jirga’ was assembled, consisting of 35 to 40 men and women of the Mohmand tribe, presided over by a chairman. The ‘jirga’ purportedly concluded that the woman had “brought disgrace to the tribe by running away from home,” and therefore, “she must be killed.”

To carry out this verdict, she was allegedly confined to a room before being killed in the courtyard in front of community members. Subsequently, her body was handed over to female family members for washing and shrouding before the burial.

According to sources close to the investigation, the victim’s body was secretly buried at night, and efforts were made to conceal her grave.

This incident follows another recent case where social media videos depicted a man and woman being shot dead in Balochistan.

In that case, Bano Bibi and Ehsanullah were killed in the Degari area near Quetta approximately six weeks ago, in what police have termed an honour-related incident.

The video showed the woman being instructed to face away from the group before a man shot her in the back. He then killed the man.

Post-mortem examinations revealed that the woman was shot seven times, and the man was shot nine times. The autopsies were conducted at the Dagari coal mine graveyard.

Human rights activist Tahira Abdullah condemned the incident, stating that there is no honour in killing women and girls.

Abdullah emphasized the need for urgent action, widespread public discussion, and Parliamentary Standing Committees to address the increasing impunity and severity of dishonour killings, despite existing legislation.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has also voiced strong disapproval of the incident and expressed serious concerns about the ongoing violence against women and girls across the country.

The UNFPA stated that these incidents reflect a deeper issue rooted in harmful social norms and gender inequality and underscored the need to address violence within families.