British couple murdered in Pakistan 'in wedding row'

A couple from Birmingham have been murdered in Pakistan in what was thought to be a row over a wedding.

LONDON: A couple from Birmingham in central England have been murdered in Pakistan, police said, after getting caught up in what was thought to be a row over a wedding.

The Foreign Office confirmed that a British man had been killed in Pakistan and they were in contact with his family. The man, Gul Wazir, and his partner lived in Britain's second city. "We have been informed of the murder of two people from Birmingham in Pakistan," a West Midlands Police spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday. "The murder inquiry is being carried out by the authorities in Pakistan and we will support their investigation as and when required." A Foreign Office spokeswoman told AFP: "We can confirm that a British man has been killed in Pakistan and we are offering consular assistance to the family."

Wazir's neighbour, May Sparrow, said she believed he had gone to Pakistan because of a dispute over his daughter's wedding. "I would imagine he went to Pakistan because he didn't want his daughter to marry this other person," she said. "It sort of fits perfectly that if his daughter didn't want to marry someone over there he would step in and stop it."

Gul Wazir was a taxi driver and his former boss, Mohammad Siddique, said the murdered man had been to see him before he left and had talked of resolving a "family clash."

"Gul Wazir came to see me... and said he was going to Pakistan the following day to sort out some family problems," said Siddique. "He was a very good worker and such a nice man. He was like my older brother."