Abrupt ending: Groom shot dead at wedding reception in Peshawar

Family urges authorities to arrest accused

PESHAWAR: They thought it was the beginning of a new union, a cause for celebration, but it ended up being an endless period of mourning.

Abid Khan, 21, was all set to tie the knot when a heated argument over photographing women at the reception turned deadly.  A volley of bullets was fired, ending Khan’s life abruptly.

Ironically, the wheels of justice have turned slowly since then. “They killed Abid in January this year. We are still waiting for justice,” said one member of the family.

In this case, the wedding party barred the use of mobile phone cameras to photograph women.  The aggressor, who the family claims was trigger happy, opened fire. “They killed him on the spot,” the victim’s father claimed.

“I urge police officials to arrest Shahzad, Shabbir, and Shah Fahad. They killed my son,” said the bereaved father. Riaz, who is up in the years, claimed Abid was his only son. “He was the only breadwinner in the house. I’m too old to work,” said Riaz.

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According to sources familiar with the details of the incident, the culprits belong to influential families.  “Members of their family are involved in drug trafficking and other crimes. That is the reason police failed to make the arrests,” said one source.  The incident took place in Sardar Garhi, and the family registered the case at the Pahari Pura police station.

Despite registering the case last month, the police have made little headway in the investigation.  “We have had two separate raids, but the accused managed to escape,” claimed Peshawar Police SSP Operations Zahir Babar Afridi.  “We are trying our best to arrest the accused in this case,” Afridi added.  So far, the police have gathered the data related to the accused.

Local human rights organizations have also expressed concerns over the matter.  “Cases filed by poor families are usually suppressed. That is normal,” said the chairman of the International Human Rights Organisation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Photographing, and filming women across traditionally conservative K-P is considered as a violation of the strict social values.  The verbal brawl occurred during the wedding when a male guest tried to film women from Abid’s family.  The fatal shooting came minutes after the brief bargain between the two sides.

Even after a month, Abid’s parents are still struggling to cope with the untimely loss of their son.  They hope the authorities will bring an end to their ordeal by providing justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2020.