‘Honour’ killing: Two pregnant women killed in Mardan

Case filed against two brothers for taking five lives.

KATLANG:

Two pregnant women were gunned down in the name of ‘honour’ in Katlang, Mardan on Sunday.

According to Amir Din Khan, a Katlang police official, Falak Naz filed a case against his neighbours Amjid Ali and Muhammad Ali stating that the two brothers barged into his house at 1:30am demanding to see his son Amjid Khan and killed his daughter-in-law accidentally.

The police official said Amjid Ali had allegedly spotted his pregnant wife Huma in an ‘objectionable state’ with Amjid Khan, his neighbour. The infuriated husband picked up a gun and began shooting indiscriminately, killing Huma on the spot. Amjid Khan, however, managed to escape.

Amjid Ali and his brother Muhammad Ali then barged into Naz’s house demanding he hand over his son Amjid Khan to them. Naz refused and tried to stop the men but they opened fire. Naz’s pregnant daughter-in-law Nozaida Bibi got caught in the firing and died on the spot.

“The accused brothers fled from the scene, while the bodies of the women were taken to Mardan Medical Complex for autopsies,” said Khan.

The autopsy reports confirmed that both women were pregnant; Huma was expecting twins.

A case has been filed against the two brothers for taking five lives and further investigation is under way.

Family dispute claims four lives

Separately, four people were killed in a shoot-out over a land dispute in Pachgi area of Jani Khel, Frontier Region Bannu.

Abdullah told Jani Khel police that his family had a land dispute with Imran and Barkatullah and on Sunday the two opened fire at his brother Sifatullah, along with his cousins Amir Nazir and Qayyum Khan, killing them on the spot.

However, Gul Awaz, a member of the other group also filed a case at the same police station stating their rival Waris Khan killed Sayed Rehman in the shoot-out.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2014.