PAKISTAN: A young woman killed by her husband with false allegation 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 20-year-old woman named Saran has been killed by her husband Nawab in the pretext of honor killing on 8 September 2004. The perpetrator has not been arrested yet. This is already the twelfth honor killing case AHRC has reported from Sindh Province since February.

Please send a letter urging the government of Pakistan to bring the perpetrator to justice soon. Please also request the Government to declaring honor killing a “crime” and create legal provisions to prohibit it. In particular, please urge the Government to take strict disciplinary action against the law enforcement officers who have failed to respond to situations of “honor killings.”

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Ms. Saran, 20 years old, of Pahor tribe
Alleged perpetrator: 1) Nawab, the victim’s husband, s/o Khuda Bux, of Pahore tribe
Address of the victim: Shah Ali Pahore Village, Khanpur Sub-division, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan
Complainant:    Gulzar, s/o Dhani Bux of Pahore tribe, the victim’s father, a driver, residing Mohammad Khan Pahore Village, Khanpur Sub-division, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan
Witnesses: 1) Allah Wadhayo, s/o Dhani Bux, of Pahore tribe, the victim’s uncle, 2) Atta-u-Allah, s/o Gulzar, of Pahore tribe, the victim’s brother
Date of incident: 8 September 2004 at about 10:00pm
Case reported on: 9 September 2004 at about 8:15pm at the Napar Kot Police Station, Shikarpur District (FIR, No. 31/04 Section 302 Pakistan Penal Code)

Case details:

On 8 September 2004 at about 10:00pm, Nawab along with his three brothers killed his wife Saran (20) in front of his parents on the pretext of honor killings. The next day, victim’s father Gulzar lodged a complaint at the Napar Kot Police Station. (FIR, No. 31/04 Section 302 Pakistan Penal Code)

According to the victim’s father, on 8 September 2004, he went to meet his daughter at her house along with his brother and son to discuss some family matter. His son-in-laws’ parents and three brothers were in the house at that time. While they were having a dinner at night, the victim’s husband Nawab returned home and ordered Saran to serve him dinner. When she was slow to respond, Nawab shouted at her using filthy words and brought an automatic rifle and pointed it at her. He accused her of loosing moral character saying that it was a shame not only to his family but also to his entire tribe and that’s why she should die. After that Nawab fired on his wife, which hit her left breast, and fled from the place immediately. The victim’s father said he did not dare to chase him because he had a weapon and rushed to bleeding Saran but she died soon. He and his son and brother tried to carry her body to the police station or hospital but could not find a vehicle at late night so they stayed at the house until next morning.

In the following morning (September 9), the victim’s father went to the elder of his tribe Mr. Ghulam Hayder and he advised the father to lodge a complaint to the police. Then the father went to the Napar Kot Police Station and lodged a complaint, in which he only mentioned his son-in-law’s name as the perpetrator, that his daughter was killed under the false allegation of honor killing.

According to the father, after Saran married Nawab few years ago, they frequently quarreled for trivial reasons and their marriage life has not been a happy one. He added that when his son-in-law killed Saran, the son-in-law did not mention any name of a man with whom she alleged to have had an illicit relationship. He merely mentioned that he is killing her on the pretext of honor killing. The father suspects that Nawab made up the false allegation to justify his crime. Meanwhile, neither Saran’s family’s side nor even her husband’s family’s side has any knowledge about this allegation.

Napar Kot police made a raid to arrest Nawab which has not been successful. The police has challenged the case with the Court of Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, Khanpur sub-division.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter, fax or an email to the following addresses and express your concern about this serious case. Please also urge the authorities to arrest the perpetrator shortly.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER