Violence against women: Woman stabbed to death ‘for having an affair’

Another harassed by men who tried to occupy her plot.

KHANPUR/ FAISALABAD/ SADIQABAD: A man killed his sister in Faisalabad for allegedly having an affair.

Jaranwala Saddar police said that Zarqa Kanwal, a resident of Chak 54-GB, had an argument with her brother, Qayum Shehzad, after he told her not to step out of the house.

They said he had suspected her of having an affair with a boy from the neighbourhood.

Following the argument, he stabbed her, killing her on the spot.

He later hung her body from a fan to make it look like a suicide. Police registered a case against Shehzad, after his father named him as the suspect. Police said they were slooking for him.

Six men harass mother of two 

A woman was beaten up and tied down naked to a charpoy on Friday allegedly by six men in Khanpur. Police said they had wanted to expel the woman and her children from the land she was living and occupy it.

She was rescued by neighbours, who came to her rescue after hearing her scream for help. Police were called and a case was registered against the men. Police arrested one of the men, but let him go an hour later.

Rehana Bibi*, the complainant, said in the FIR that she had been sleeping when six armed men entered her room and threw her off the charpoy at around 2am. She said when she started shouting, they held her by her hair and dragged her around the room. They also tore her clothes and tied her down to the charpoy for two hours. She said her children were shouting for help. Finally, some neighbours heard her scream and came to the rescue.

She said the men fled on seeing the people arrive. She said when she went to the police station, the inspector on duty demanded Rs20,000 bribe. She said she paid him the money, after which he filed a case against six men.



She said the men had wanted to occupy her land she lived on. She said when they entered her room, they told her that they wanted to set up their dera there. She said while she had named all six men, the police had arrested only one, Hassan Ahmed, and released him an hour later, apparently after he bribed them.

She said she had filed a complaint at the office of the district police officer as well.

Woman seeks police protection

In Sadiqabad a woman filed a petition at a sessions court on Friday seeking police protection for herself and her husband.

She said she had married of her free will and that her family had been threatening to kill her unless she sought divorce and returned home to them.



Farah Yaseen, a resident of Akbar Town, said that she had married Muhammad Arsalan a few weeks ago. She said her parents had not approved of the match. She said now her father Muhammad Yassen, mother Shahnaz Bibi, step-brother Gul Hassan and cousins Muhammad Waseem, Abid Hussain were after her telling her to leave her husband.

She said they had visited her house and threatened to kill her if she did not obtain divorce. She said they had also threatened to kidnap her husband. She said she did not want to leave her house and was happily married. She requested the judge to direct the police concerned to protect her and her husband and stop them from harassing her.

The judge will hear the case on Monday.

*Name has been changed to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2013.