‘Honour’ killing: Man and his friends axe his wife

Mukhtar and 7 of his friends killed his wife after he declared her as ‘kali’.

Police officials have arrested the accused.

According to police officials, Sube Da city resident Allah Dewaya recently filed a written complaint detailing that his daughter Hajil Mai was murdered by her husband Mukhtar Ahmed. Dewaya told police officials that Mukhtar Ahmed, 22, used to torture and beat his daughter Hajil Mai. “He kept accusing her of having had an affair even though he usually kept her locked up in the house for the duration of their marriage,” he said.

On Tuesday, Ahmed allegedly announced to their neighbourhood that his wife was a ‘kari’ and had an affair with their neighbour, Waleed. Waleed is said to have fled after the accusation.

Ahmed and seven of his friends slaughtered his wife in the courtyard of their house with sickles, knives and an axe.

Police officials said that there were several eyewitnesses. “He announced what he was going to do and because he is a landlord, we were too scared to interfere. Someone called the police though,” said a local resident Ashraf.

Neighbours told police officials that a few weeks ago Mukhtar had turned his wife out of the house and she had begun staying with her parents.

“He brought her back home a week ago but locked her up again,” said a neighbour Nazia.

Police said that there were conflicting accounts of the murder as several villagers said that they had witnessed the slaughter and others said that the girl had committed suicide.

“We have sent the body for an autopsy,” police official Rahman said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2011. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelt Kari. The correction has been made.