PHOTO: AFP
LAHORE: The husband of a pregnant Pakistani woman who was bludgeoned to death outside Lahore High Court murdered his first wife, he told AFP on Thursday, in a twist to a story that has shocked rights activists.
Farzana Parveen was murdered on Tuesday outside the High Court in Lahore by more than two dozen attackers, including her brother and father, for marrying against her family's wishes.
The brazen, brutal nature of the killing, in broad daylight in the centre of Pakistan's second largest city, has triggered outrage around the world.
Now Parveen's husband Mohammad Iqbal, 45, has admitted killing his first wife.
"I was in love with Farzana and killed my first wife because of this love," adding that he had strangled her.
Iqbal said he was spared a prison term because his son -- who alerted police to the murder -- later forgave him under the country's controversial blood-money laws.
After admitting to the murder he switched off his phone and did not respond to further calls.
Rights groups have expressed fears the same blood-money laws that spared Iqbal could be used to pardon Parveen's killers.
Zulfiqar Hameed, a senior police officer investigating the killing of Parveen, said police would be filing a report to the government later on tonight detailing Iqbal's past.
"Iqbal was a notorious character and he had murdered his first wife six years ago. A police case was lodged against him and he was on the run for many weeks," Hameed said.
"He was arrested and later released after a compromise with his family."
According to Iqbal, a farmer from the Jaranwala district of Punjab, Parveen's family had initially agreed to their marriage but they had later fallen out because they wanted a greater amount in dowry.
Last year 869 women died in so-called "honour killings" according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
COMMENTS (45)
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@3rdRockFromTheSun: Exactly, I mean in both cases, women were killed because of one man. If Farzana's brothers and father are to be punished, this lunatic man who killed his first wife must also be equally punished. Or else, Farzana's family might be justified in killing her for marrying a killer and man of loose character.
A Love Story from Pakistan: Boy Meets Girl Boy Marries Girl Boy Meets Second Girl Boy Strangles First Girl Boy Marries Second Girl Girl's Family Stones Girl for Marrying Boy...
@ali
For once we Pakistanis are responsible for these horrendous crimes against women. You are another deflector of the truth brigade trying to muddle the waters with accusations on Pakistani Americans and those living in the Gulf. America and Gulf have their own issues but now we on the ground dealing with the death of a young woman. It saddens me that Nawaz Sharif has asked for a report/investigation this is the usual delay tactic you by our political leaders lots of reports no immediate action!
@Zain: That's your interpretation of religious jurisprudence. But at the end, its just an interpretation.... There is no way to find whether your interpretation is correct before the day of juedgement. Till than you will have to live with the fact that fasad fil ardh is by all means state affair and even if the hiers pardon, the state, in cases like Raymond Davis and this incident, can still pursue with the case under anti terrorism act.
These are the results of not investing in education for the masses.
We need to worry only about what's happening to muslims in India.
@Ch. Allah Daad: I know...we all laughed when Raymond Davis was released...only in Pakistan ...you will release murderers and sell your mothers for money !
@ali: Why do you always blame the Americans for everything! the murder happened In Pakistan, the laws are made by Pakistani's. Women are always targeted. Wake up and smell the coffee. When will they ever learn.
How can Pakistan the last fortress of Islam point fingers at the divine sharia law? This is Islam.
@Mj: Abolishing Qisas and Diyat Law is absolutely out of question. No one in Pakistan has courage to change one coma or full stop of this law.
@America: well same law was used to free Raymond Davis who killed two people.
I think people need to stop commenting about how this only spreads a bad image of our country. Wake up, we are in the same league as Somalia, except we have nuclear weapons. We cannot get any worse.
The Qisas and Diyat laws may have been suitable to stop tribal disputes (which was a greater evil) but in a modern state, which is no longer tribal, they are producing unjust outcomes and being used to allow murderers to walk away free.
What the husband did in the past should have no bearing on the present case.The state needs to deal with it separately.Interesting though that the sufferer in both cases are the women who paid with their lives.How can sate allow people to murder its citizens and then the family takes the money and forgives the killers.How does it help and get justice for the killed.??
There is no pardon, no justification for ANYONE who propagate, approve or use violence, especially against defenseless and helpless children, women and the animals.
The Mystical Law of Karma shall repel our good or bad deeds accordingly!
@Salman - Bunch of illiterate goons spreading bad image of the country - Are you the spokesperson for the family that killed this young lady? or are you the one that contributes to violence against women?
What a sick society with bizarre customs and twisted laws !
Wow, stunned...even M.Night couldn't have scripted a better twist...just messed up at so many shocking levels...
@Zain: "Qisas and Diyat Ordinance is enshrined in fiqh."
Who cares if it is part of fiqh. The law is extremely unjust and must be changed.
okay this is the good governance we were told about.
@Zain: If that is the case then forget about justice- it means there can be be no justice according to Islamic laws. This logic beats me totally!
Only to divert attention from the current incident. Both cases must proceed. Diyat law has become a joke.
So long story short - two women paid the ultimate price for one man's lust who goes unpunished !
Someone said women had equal rights...?
Is there any end to our depravity as a nation? We use Islamic laws to forgive each other on killing women. Religion and laws have become a laughing stock at our hands. Our actions have continuously shown that we have no respect for anything.
please do away with the blood money law!!
That's why I am never returning to Pakistan. Continue living in stone-age, fools!
More reasons why these countries are living in the stone age and will never change
@ali: Qisas and Diyat Ordinance is enshrined in fiqh. It is not a product of an American conspiracy.
Only in Pakistan, the land of the pure, and fortress of Islam and Sharia !
I like this rogue and stone age law which was created when there was no government, police, jails, courts and judiciary.
People blaming judiciary for not doing, broken judicial system etc should blame Qisas and Diyat Ordinance and high support for Diyat and Badl-e-Sulah in society. Judges cannot create law. People support 'compromise' aka badl-e-sulah for murder. It is enshrined in religious law.
I Love Sharia Law...
what kind of absolutely crazy laws Pakistan has created on the name of if you have money you can get away with murder (mainly to protect americans acting in pakistan and killing whomever in the name of war against terror) probably these laws are created under pressure from americans and their friends in gulf. shame on every pakistani who is involved in creating such anti-islamic laws!!!
SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah! I love Pakistan and our judicial system for protecting the criminals.
This kind of news make me feel that Pakistan is still in the stone age.
Kia ho raha hey yaar is mulk mey???? Simply no hope
JERRY JERRY JERRY
What a joke.
Was this rights charade not invented when Raymond Davis was exported after using the same blood money laws? Moreover, those intellectuals who do not like the law should challenge it in courts instead of holding poster childs and virtually doing nothing beyond photo session. ET, please note that every law and piece of legislation in Pakistan is controversial. How come you pointed out this one only?
"..in a twist to a story that has shocked rights activists."
The story has only shocked rights activists?
"Iqbal said he was spared a prison term because his son — who alerted police to the murder — later forgave him under the country’s controversial blood-money laws."
Can we please change the absurd laws which let the killers walk free?
As per all sects and fiqh of Islam, murder in the form of even qatl-e-amd is a private offence between murderer and heirs of victim, where the victim's heirs (wali) have the near absolute right to pardon. The only role of the state is to provide smooth system of arbitration and justice, and look at exceptions like fasad-fil-ardh. If pardoned in the name of Allah i.e. without any blood money (diyyat) or 'badal-e-sulah' (compromise agreement), the state has no right to even pursue fasad-dil-ardh.
Pakistani people support religious laws of Qisas and Diyat, and culturally support them too.
Don't talk about creating exceptions and keeping Qisas Diyat as well. Repeal it entirely or keep it in it's real Islamic form.
I repeat, murder is not an offence against the state as per all schools of fiqh. This isn't some mullah conspiracy, this is a thousand years of jurisprudence and religious interpretation.
This is how sharia laws can be used to justify murder...the TTP terrorists used sharia to justify the attempted murder of Malala...they can justify anything with sharia and that is why they want it so much...
What a shame. We must amend every law introduced during Zia's dictatorship.
Bunch of illiterate goons spreading bad image of the country.
In everything there is a twist, Long live Pakistan