Man kills wife over sense of honour, confesses to police

Accused confesses to police; says murder was aimed at salvaging the family's honour

MANSEHRA: A man shot his wife dead in the name of ‘honour’ in a remote village of Oghi tehsil, Mansehra on Saturday.

The accused identified as Haider Zaman surrendered to the police and confessed to the crime before the police and media. The court of Oghi judicial magistrate sent Haider for a day’s remand Saturday morning.

According to the police, the brothers of the deceased woman had no objection to the murder of their sister; evident from the fact that none of them became complainants in her murder. However, Fatima Bibi’s son, Azhar, lodged an FIR against his father, Haider Zaman, and added rumours about her mother’s affair with Shabbir had existed due to which his father had murdered his mother.

Double murder

Oghi police officials said Fatima Bibi, the 49-year-old daughter of Dost Muhammad from Bathi village, married Haider Zaman, son of Muhammad Zaman and a resident of Khaki Shah Baba village, 15 years ago.

In February, Haider started suspecting Fatima Bibi was romantically involved with one of his cousins, Shabbir, son of Abdul Qayum from the same village, Khaki Shah Baba.

According to the police, Haider and Fatima Bibi’s brother, Ali Muhammad, killed Shabbir on February 3, claiming he had uploaded a video on social media that showed both Shabbir and Fatima Bibi in an objectionable state.

The evening Shabbir was shot dead, Fatima Bibi went missing. While the investigation of Shabbir’s murder was under way and Haider was lying low, search for the woman continued and she was found at a relative’s house in Lahore.

Oghi police said Haider somehow brought his wife back from Lahore Thursday night and the next morning took her to the spot where he had allegedly murdered Shabbir. He then shot her six times from a 30-bore pistol.

Commodification of women

Haider then reached Oghi police station, turned himself in, and confessed to the murder before the media which was also present. He said he killed his wife who had tainted the honour of two families by having a love affair with the late Shabbir.

“I am quite satisfied with what I have done; any honourable man would have chosen the same path,” he said. “I did not have any other option but to kill her after seeing her in an objectionable state with another man on video.”

He claimed while speaking to the police and media when he brought her from Lahore he had the option to divorce her she insisted on being killed instead. Haider said she told him she had lost the right to live anymore, particularly after facing mistrust and humiliation.

Haider told the media Fatima Bibi had proved to be “disloyal and dishonest” and he will not repent his crime and was ready to face consequences.

He was produced before the court of Oghi judicial magistrate Saturday morning where he was remanded into custody for one day so police can investigate.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2016.