Lahore honour killing victim buried

LAHORE: The funeral of a teenage girl strangled and burnt to death by her family for marrying of her own choice two days ago was held early Thursday morning in Lahore.

Zeenat Bibi, 17, was set on fire on Wednesday. None of her relatives sought to claim her body, police said, leaving her new husband’s family to bury her charred remains in the dark in a graveyard near the city.

Police said the husband, 20-year-old Hassan Khan, had launched a complaint in the killing against his wife’s mother, Perveen Bibi, who is in police custody.

Investigation Officer Nazir Ahmad Aoupal said the mother had confessed to her crime. Raids are under way to arrest the other suspects, including the girl’s brother Anees and her brother-in-law.

A senior police official believed Anees has fled to Dubai.

Rights activists condemned the killing as a female politician called for the federal government to detail the steps it was taking to prevent such violence. “Women continue to face violence despite the prevalence of legislation,” PPP’s Sherry Rehman told the Senate.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2016.