‘Honour’ killing: Woman shot dead

Husband sets fire to suspected lover’s house.

MANSEHRA:

A married woman was killed on the pretext of honour late Wednesday night, while the house of her alleged lover was set ablaze in his absence, in a remote village of Torghar, according to the police.

Police sources said Taj Bibi, 25, from Tali Syedan village was living with her husband in Karachi, where she allegedly developed illicit relations with Zar Ali Khan, a resident of village Gangat Torghar. When her husband came to know about their relationship, he took her back to the village. She was asleep when he fired at her several times with a pistol, killing her on the spot. The accused then went to Khan’s house and set it on fire with the help of some of his relatives. However, there was no report of loss of life as Khan’s family was also in Karachi.

Torghar, a tribal area of the province, was given the status of the sixth district of Hazara last year. The police department is still in a developing phase. The cases of honor killing are a common practice in the tribal culture of Torghar and Kohistan districts of Hazara, said police sources.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2012.