Husband claims British wife became victim of honour killing in Pakistan

A beauty therapist by profession from Bradford, Shahid died on Wednesday when she was visiting her family in northern Punjab, The Guardian reported.

British MP Naz Shah had demanded an independent autopsy after Shahid’s husband seemed positive that her family killed her for marrying him who was seen as an ‘outsider.’

Shah has also asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to intervene and play his role in the suspected murder probe

In a letter written to Sharif, she asserted, “Should this be [an honour killing] case then we must ensure justice is done for Samia and we must ensure this never happens again.”

Syed Mukhtar Kazam, a Pakistani national and Shahid’s husband, claimed his wife’s family was against their “love marriage” in September 2014 but she moved to live with him in Dubai in May 2015.

Before her marriage with Kazam, Shahid had left her first husband who was also her cousin from her village in Pakistan.

She had been back to Bradford twice in the past year to convince her parents to accept her marriage, the British MP continued in her letter.

Kazam said he was shocked to know that his 28-year-old wife suffered a critical heart attack when she was in Pakistan to see an ailing relative.

She was buried after post-mortem and the samples from her body were sent to a forensics lab in Lahore on Tuesday, revealed a police officer leading the investigation in Pakistan.

Another official confirmed that there were no signs of violence or wounds on her body,

Though Kazam feared his wife had been killed by her family, Shahid’s parents have denied his claims.

“An investigation is under way and if I am found guilty I am ready for every kind of punishment,” he said. “My daughter was living a very peaceful and happy life. She had come to Pakistan on her own and was not under any pressure from her family.”

“We are providing support to the family of a British national who has died in Pakistan, and are in contact with the local authorities to seek further information,” said a Foreign Office spokesperson.

West Yorkshire police are also liaising with the Foreign Office and Pakistani authorities.

Recently, the death of a Pakistan social media star Qandeel Baloch killed by her brother who felt he had been ‘dishonoured’ due to her risqué Facebook and Instagram uploads made headlines worldwide.

When her murder case echoed in the UK’s House of Commons after Baloch’s murder, the British Prime Minister Theresa May said there was no honour in the so-called honour-based violence.