Two shot dead for 'honour' in Attock

Sidra and Mohammad wanted to tie the knot against their parents’ wishes

ATTOCK: The archaic tradition of family honour claimed two more lives as a couple was shot dead in Attock for seeking marriage without the consent of their elders.

Police quoting family and local residents said that Muhammad Usman, a truck cleaner, and S* wanted to marry. However their family members were against the proposal and there were tensions simmering between the two clans.



Javed Usman, father of the murdered youth, told the police that a few days back S came to their home and asked to tie their knot, but he sent her back telling her that she was not doing right and it was against local traditions.

S’s proposal, to step out of the house and seek the hand of the man of her choice, was still too bold for local culture even in the 21st century, police sources explained.

Her brother Abrar was furious. Javed told the police that on Saturday morning, as Mohammad Usman stepped out of his house to go to work, he was met by a hail of bullets.

S’s brothers, Abrar and Ali, were lurking in the alley and as soon as they say Mohammad coming out, they rushed, pulled out their pistols and gunned down the youth. The duo left the scene unchallenged.

Police said when S came to know about the murder of Mohammad, she knew she was next and ran to her brother-in-law’s house, beseeching her sister to save her.

After a few hours her brother Abrar reached there and killed her too - shot dead in cold blood. Police arrested the killers who offered no resistance.

Police negligence

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja has termed the double murder a negligence of the police and suspended SHO Abid Munir of Saddar Police Station, Attock.



The RPOs action is apparently based on the case fact that there was a gap of few hours between the two killings, sources said. People knew why Mohammad was killed and what would happen next in this small town, they said.

The police could have saved S if they had acted timely, sources claimed.

*Name withheld to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2017.