Brother shoots Divorced Sister as Honour Killing in Pakistan

A man identified as Riaz, from Faisalabad’s Kanjwani area, murdered his sister in a case of a shocking honour killing.

The brother shot Surraiya Bibi after suspecting that she was in a relationship with another man after divorcing her husband.

Garh Police Station SHO Rai Muhammad Farooq explained that the victim was married and was living with her husband.

However, she developed differences with her husband and eventually divorced him.

After getting divorced from her husband, Surraiya moved in with her parents in the Shadi Peeran area.

Farooq stated that her brother Riaz suspected that the reason for her divorce was because she was in a relationship with a man living in the same area.

On the day of the incident, Riaz confronted his sister over the suspicions he had about her which resulted in an argument.

The argument escalated which led to the brother taking out a pistol and opening fire at her.

Surraiya suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was killed instantly.

Following the murder, Riaz fled the crime scene.

Police officers have registered an FIR against the suspect and are conducting raids in order to arrest him.

In another honour killing incident which occurred on March 25, 2019, a woman was murdered after marrying of her own free will in Lahore.

The woman, identified as Uzma, aged 30, got married a few days prior to the incident.

Her brothers, Azhar and Qasim were not happy with her decision. On the day of the murder, Uzma went to meet her parents at their home.

However, her brothers attacked her with an axe. Uzma died after sustaining severe injuries.

The victim’s sister Tehmina was also injured after she tried to shield her from the attacks. The two men were later arrested and sent to prison.

Honour killing in Pakistan is a massive issue and in Faisalabad, it is particularly significant.

Within the first half of 2018, more than 175 men and women were killed in the name of honour across Faisalabad.

While officers have stated that efforts have been made to arrest the suspects, they admitted that the accused in most cases remained at large.

There have been laws made in an attempt to curb this problem. The Punjab Assembly passed a new bill against honour killing in order to provide legal protection to women.

All forms of violence against women have been criminalised while centres have been established across the city to remove obstacles which complicate a woman’s quest for justice.

Under the law, relatives of the victim can only pardon the suspect if they are sentenced to capital punishment. But, they would still face a mandatory sentence of 12-and-a-half years.