'Honour killing': Couple murdered on jirga's order in Karachi, nine arrested

KARACHI: Police have arrested nine men for allegedly killing a couple in the name of honor on the orders of jirga or elders’ council in the city’s Mominabad area, ARY News reported on Monday.

SP Orangi Abid Baloch said the couple hailing from Kohistan was killed for honor some twelve days back by girl’s family members who were carrying out the orders of the elders’ council.

He said nine people have been arrested in connection with the killing of the couple, who have confessed to the crime.

The victim couple had got married out of their own freewill, which offended their family members who wanted to kill them for bringing disgrace on them, the SP Orangi said.

Abid Baloch said the male victim, Abdul Hadi, was already married to daughter of his paternal uncle and had three children from this marriage.

“His second marriage brew conflict between both the families,” he said.

He said the members of the murdered girl’s family and her fiance’s family were involved in their murder.

The local police grew suspicious when the couple residing within the limits of Mominabad police station went missing and blood stains were seen in their house.

Police have exhumed bodies of the couple Ittihad Town graveyard and shifted them to a local hospital for medico-legal formalities.

Police sources said relatives of the murdered man and woman held a Jirga, a decision making assembly of male elders, to announce their death.

Talking to ARY News, father of Abdul Hadi, who is suspected of involvement in the murder, said he could not afford enmity by going against decision of the Jirga.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the provincial police chief on the matter. He directed IG Sindh AD Khowaja to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.

While, Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal and the IG Sindh  also took notice of the incident and sought report on the tragic incident.

Police are carrying out raids to nab primary suspect of the incident.

Earlier in September this year, a teenage couple who tried to elope were murdered with electric shocks in an “honour killing” by family members who were carrying out the orders of an influential tribal council.

The teenagers in the port city of Karachi were said by the Pashtun council of elders, or jirga, to have brought dishonor on the community.

“The innocent souls were tied to a charpai (rope bed) and given electric shocks,” said a police officer who arrested the two fathers and two uncles and is pursuing some 30 members of the jirga who have gone into hiding.

The 15-year-old girl had allegedly run away with her 17-year-old boyfriend last month, he said.

More than 500 people -almost all women — die in Pakistan each year in such killings, usually carried out by members of the victim’s family meting out punishment for bringing “shame” on the community.