Man kills sister and her friend in rural Punjab

Dilbar killed his sister Najma and Ali after they expressed their desire to get married

SHEIKHUPURA: A man shot and killed his sister and her friend in a small village called Mission Kalar in Thana Factory area located in Ferozwala tehsil on Monday.

The accused Ahsan confessed to killing his sister Najma and her friend Ali after the two had expressed their desire to get married. Afterwards, he confessed his crime and handed himself over to police. Thana Factory area police have recovered the murder weapon and registered a case against him while also arresting Najma’s other brother Dilbar.

The Express Tribune has learnt that Najma and Ali used to attend the same academy in Shahdara where they had befriended each other. After a few months of being friends, the two fell in love.

Najma would often go to the roof of her house to speak to Ali over the phone. This made her brother and family members suspicious who demanded an explanation. When they found out about her intentions to marry Ali, they tried to dissuade her even resorting to physical abuse to try and change her mind.

Najma’s father is a landlord while Ali comes from a more humble background where his two brothers manage the household expenses. Despite their objections, Najma refused to budge and threatened to run away from home in order to get married.

This prompted her father and her brothers to hatch a plan. They persuaded her to call Ali over for dinner by telling her they wished to discuss wedding arrangements. When Ali reached their house, Ahsan shot him in the head. Afterwards, he also shot and killed his sister.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2018.