Children seek burial of slain woman in US
According to police sources, Rizwan abducted his ex-wife from Rawalpindi and killed and buried her in Dera Ismail Khan. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The burial of Pakistani-American woman Wajiha Swati, who was killed by her former husband after being abducted within the limits of the Morgah Police Station, could not be decided as her children have demanded the body to be transported to the United States for interment.
The slain's body has been kept in Rawalpindi District Headquarters hospital’s morgue after a post-mortem and a DNA test.
Sources said that US embassy officials again met with Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Ashfaq Khan and City Police Officer Sajid Kayani and exchanged information regarding the investigation. Police sources said that the matter of the burial of the victim also figured in in the discussion.
According to sources, the children of a woman currently living in the United States have requested the authorities to allow them to transport the body to the United States for final rites.
The sources said that the government will consider the children's request and decide the matter.
Police sources said that the post-mortem of the victim's body was completed on December 26. The hospital administration has prepared an initial report after the post-mortem. The detailed post-mortem and DNA tests had been sent to the Punjab forensic laboratory in Lahore for final analysis.
The police sources said that the US embassy staff along with investigation officials specializing in investigating murder cases held separate meetings with RPO Ashfaq Khan and CPO Sajid Kayani. The top Rawalpindi police officials briefed them about the investigation into the murder case and the latest development.
The US team called for speeding up the investigation, the sources said adding that the US embassy team demanded to wrap up the probe at the earliest.
According to the sources said the body of the victim will be handed over to the family after the government decided the matter regarding the burial.
Earlier, Rizwan Habib, the former husband of Wajiha Swati, confessed to killing her on October 16 soon after she arrived in Pakistan from the US.
On Sunday, duty Civil Judge Arif Khan Niazi remanded Rizwan Habib, his father Hurriyatullah and his servant Sultan into police custody for three days. The court ordered the police to produce the three accused on December 29.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2021.