Runaway Bride: Girl shot dead over elopement

SUKKUR: A teenage girl was gunned down on Monday by her brother over her free-will marriage in Aftab Colony in Ghotki. On April 18, Shazia, daughter of Muhammad Ramzan Lolai, and Hazoor Bux Shaikh were married in a Rahim Yar Khan court. The marriage sparked tension between the two families and the Lolai elders started pressuring the Shaikh community to return the girl. Elders of the Shaikh community used their influence to return the girl to her parents, who handed Shazia, along with her mother, over to their spiritual leader to save her from being termed a kari and being killed. On Monday, the girl’s elder brother, Saddam Lolai, went to the spiritual leader’s house and asked to speak to his sister and mother. When the women came to the door, Saddam pulled out a pistol and opened fire at his sister, killing her on the spot. A case was registered against the girl’s father and brothers.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2015.