For ‘honour’: Bride’s family attacks police van, kills groom

The couple had married in court against their families’ wishes .

GILGIT:

A bridegroom was killed and five policemen were injured when the groom’s in-laws ambushed a police van in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer Valley on Friday.

The couple had tied the knot in a court in Gahkuch, headquarters of Ghizer Valley, against the wishes of their families on Friday. They were being escorted by police to the police station in a van when the bride’s brothers Mahboob Khan and Alam Khan intercepted the vehicle in Gahkuch bazaar and opened fire.

The groom, indentified as Lateef, a resident of Diamer Valley, died on the spot, while five policemen sustained injuries.

Police opened retaliatory fire at the attackers as a result of which Alam sustained severe injuries. He was admitted to a hospital in critical condition.

According to a police official, Lateef was shot in the head and died, while the five injured policemen were shifted to a hospital where they were said to be stable.

An hour later, the second accused, Mahboob, surrendered to the police and confessed his crime.

The bride remained unhurt in the incident. Fear gripped the town following the shooting and shopkeepers closed their businesses for the day.

In view of the lack of police personnel at Gahkuch police station, more police teams were brought to Ghizer from Gilgit in an attempt to avert any other untoward incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2014.