Zeenat Rafiq, who was burned alive, by her mother. PHOTO: AFP
Zeenat Bibi was set on fire last Wednesday, a little over a week after she wed 20-year-old motorcycle mechanic Hasan Khan against the wishes of her family. Her mother Perveen Bibi admitted to the killing.
According to reports, Anis was arrested from a relative’s house in Lahore and has confessed to aiding his mother in the murder.
Teenage girl burned alive by mother for marrying man of choice in Lahore
Zeenat's mother, Perveen Bibi, is already in police custody.
The development comes days after Zeenat's vowed to do whatever it took to get justice for his young wife. Zeenat’s charred remains were buried by her new husband’s family before dawn after none of her relatives sought to claim her body.
Khan had earlier suggested that Perveen had been helped in the murder by her brother and son, and was covering up for them.
The case has drawn widespread outrage in Pakistan, which account for hundreds of deaths every year. It was also the third such case involving burning over a three-month span.
'I want justice': Husband of Lahore teen murdered for honour
Pakistan amended its criminal code in 2005 to prevent men who kill female relatives escaping punishment by pardoning themselves as an “heir” of the victim.
But it is left to a judge’s discretion to decide whether to impose a prison sentence when other relatives of the victim forgive the killer — a loophole which critics say is still exploited.
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