US diplomats witness Wajiha murder case trial

Also meet sessions judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, lawyers representing victim

RAWALPINDI:

Two US embassy officials on Saturday witnessed the trial of six accused allegedly involved in the murder of US-Pakistan woman Wajiha Swati.

As Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka resumed hearing against the six indicted accused including the main accused Rizwan Habib, the two US embassy officials (a woman and a man) showed up in the court and witnessed the proceedings.

The US embassy officials also met with the judge and got an update about the case proceedings.

During the hearing, the female US official also took notes. The two US officials remained in the courtroom for 40 minutes before they left.

The US diplomats also discussed various technicalities including the evidence and DNA report, with the lawyers representing the victim.

Earlier on Friday, Sessions Judge Majoka indicted all six accused — Rizwan Habib, the main accused and ex-husband of the victim, his father Hurriyatullah, employee Sultan, accomplices Zahida Bibi, Rasheed and Zahid Yousuf — in the murder case of Pakistani-American woman Wajiha Swati.

The court adjourned the hearing till May 31 and issued orders to present all the witnesses at the next date. All the accused except for the female accused were produced before the court from Adial jail in handcuffs under tight security.

Rizwan Habib, the main accused in the murder of Wajiha Swati, was the second husband of the victim. Habib is also accused of killing the victim's first husband, Dr Mehdi, for which the Chiniot police had filed a murder case against him in 2014.

As per the police report, the accused has confessed to killing Mehdi during the investigation of Wajiha’s murder case. The Dr Mehdi murder case will be heard after the completion of the Wajih Swati murder case.

Wajiha Swati and her second husband, Rizwan Habib, had a dispute over a property worth billions of rupees. On the pretext of solving the dispute, Habib tricked Wajiha into coming to Pakistan from the US. When Wajiha arrived in Pakistan on October 16, 2021, she was kidnapped and murdered within the limits of the Morgah Police Station. Her body was mutilated and buried in the village of Lakki Marwat, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Wajiha’s remains were recovered from Lakki Marwat after Habib confessed to killing her and burying her body concealed in a coffin.

The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench earlier dismissed the bail pleas of three accused, including Rizwan Habib, in the murder case.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2022.