Couple, two minors slaughtered for ‘honour’

The prime suspect in the case is the woman’s father

HAFIZABAD: A young couple and their minor sons were brutally slaughtered with a sharp-edged weapon in Nissowal village late on Friday night in an ‘honour killing’.

According to police source, Sana, the daughter of prime suspect Gulzar Ahmad Qureshi of Nissowal village, had married Firdous, the son of Muhammad Riaz of Puraneki village, about four years ago.



The marriage was against the wishes of her father. Relations between Sana and her father remained strained, but the two had recently gone through a reconciliation process.

Regardless, the father still held a grudge against his daughter and son-in-law. On Friday night, Sana, along with her husband Firdous and two sons Zain, 2, and Hassnain, 1, visited the father’s house in Nissowal village. After taking dinner, they all slept. At around midnight, Gulzar Ahmad allegedly slit their throats one by one with a sharp-edged weapon.

After learning of the gruesome murders, a police contingent headed by DPO Saifullah Khan rushed to the spot and shifted the dead bodies to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Pindi Bhattain. They also arrested the suspect while recovering the blood-smeared weapon from his possession.



According to Muhammad Riaz, the father of Firdous, the murders were committed by Gulzar Ahmad and his two brothers Ameer and Ansar. Later, Muhammad Riaz, along with other family of the deceased, staged a demonstration in Gole Chowk Pindi Bhattian. After a postmortem, the bodies were handed over to the family for burial.

The Jalalpur Bhattian police have registered a case under sections 302, 311,147 and 149 of the PPC as well as Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2018.