SHANGLA: A man, aided by his brother, killed his five months pregnant wife here for ‘honour’, accusing her of infidelity, local police said on Saturday.
Minat Sajida, a resident of Dandai area of Besham tehsil of Shangla district, was shot dead after her husband accused her of having extra-marital relations, the deceased woman’s brother told local police.
Afzal Khan, Station House Officer (SHO) of Dandai police station, said the victim’s brother claimed his sister had been married to Bajreen for 14 years and they had four children. But Bajreen believed he was not the father of the child she was expecting, he added.
The police officer confirmed that the woman was five months pregnant and was killed using a pistol. Both Bajreen and his brother are missing since the murder.
“In the last eight months, three honour killing incidents occurred within the precincts of Dandai police station and most of the culprits were arrested and sent to prison,” the police official told Dawn.com.
The killing comes a week after popular social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was killed in Multan for ‘honour’, sending shock waves across the country, prompting widespread criticism of so-called honour killings.
Women rights activist and politicians called for renewed efforts to curb the menace that has plagued the country for decades.
Two days ago, a committee comprising lawmakers from both the lower and upper houses of the parliament unanimously approved two bills aimed at tackling honour killings and boosting rape convictions.
Under the new law, relatives of the victim would only be able to pardon the killer of capital punishment, but they would still face a mandatory life sentence of twelve-and-a-half years, a minister told AFP.
