Outside the law: Two gunned down in the name of ‘honour’

A man and woman were shot dead in Palas tehsil of Kohistan in an alleged case of honour killing, local police told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

Zari Bibi, 19, married Wali Gul of Badakot village a few months ago and her husband mostly remained out of the district for his job. In Gul’s absence, Zari was accused of being involved with Jamaluddin, 22.

On Friday afternoon, the alleged lovers met in the forest of the village and Zari’s in-laws somehow heard about their rendezvous.

According to a police source, one of Gul’s paternal uncles, Azam Khan, held Zari responsible for “tainting the family’s honour”. Azam shot Jamal dead on the spot; Bibi was gunned down after she was taken home.

A Palas police official said under the tribal customs, mostly both parties avoid lodging an FIR against each other.

However, he added, a police party has been sent to the village for investigation, and the case would be registered on the complaint of the SHO if Zari’s family do not lodge a complaint.

Palas is notorious for honour killings and was brought under the spotlight with the Kohistan video scandal, when five women were reportedly murdered for clapping and singing at a wedding function with two boys in 2012.

A link to the article can be found here.