Woman sentenced to death for killing daughter for 'honour'

Perveen was accused of lynching her daughter

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court has punished a woman with death penalty for lynching her daughter in the name of honour for marrying a man of her own choice. A son of the convict who helped in murdering Zeenat Bibi, 17, last year has also been punished with a life term.

The convict Perveen Rafique had said in court that she had no remorse over lynching her daughter, confessing that she set her ablaze but her son and brother-in law were not involved in the incident.

It is pertinent to note that the newly-wed bride was burnt alive for honour by her for marrying a man of her own choice in the Factory Area police limits.



A case was registered on the complaint of victim’s husband, Hassan Khan, who in his statement contended that he married Zeenat on May 29, 2016 in a local court.

He said that the victim’s cousin, Mushtaq Ahmad, later requested her to go back to her parents so a proper ceremony could be held.

On the day of the incident, Khan received information that his in-laws were subjecting his wife to torture and rushed to Zeenat’s house. Khan alleged that he saw his in-laws first beat his wife, douse her in kerosene and then set her ablaze.



Zeenat received multiple burns and died on the spot.

Police registered a case against three suspects, including the victim’s mother, brother and brother-in-law Mushtaq, under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 7ATA and other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The autopsy report revealed that the girl was tortured before being killed.

Mushtaq was later found innocent in the police investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2017.