Girl killed for talking to neighbour

In a tragic incident highlighting the persistence of honour killings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a 19-year-old girl was shot dead by her uncle and cousin in Lower Dir district simply for conversing with a neighbour boy outside her home.

Karishma Bibi, described as the sole daughter of her parents, was living with her uncle after her mother died during childbirth last year and her father is currently abroad working as a labourer. The incident occurred on June 26 in the mountainous and forested village of Kharkai, falling within the jurisdiction of Khara Police Station.

According to police officials, Karishma was gunned down by her paternal uncle and his son, who were reportedly enraged over her interaction with a neighbouring youth.

Talking to The Express Tribune, District Police Officer (DPO) Lower Dir, Captain (retd) Bilal Farooq, said a police team, including female officers, was immediately dispatched to the scene. The victim's body was shifted for post-mortem examination. An FIR has been registered on the complaint of the Station House Officer (SHO) under Section 302 (murder) and Section 311 (honour killing) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The investigation officer, SP Investigation Lower Dir Rashid Khan, said that a comprehensive FIR has been lodged. The girl was killed with Kalashnikov bullets, and spent cartridges have been recovered from the scene. Two suspects, a father and son, who are the victim's uncle and cousin, have been named in the case. One of them, Gul Bahar (the cousin), has been arrested, while police are actively searching for the second accused.