Man kills daughter for free-will marriage in Karachi

KARACHI: A woman was allegedly gunned down Monday in the name of honour inside the premises of the city court in the metropolis, police told Geo News.

Hajra, the victim, was killed by her own father who fired at her for free-will marriage.

According to the Senior Superintendent of Police, the victim was being taken inside the premises by Head Constable Imran Zaman and female constables to be presented before the court.

Meanwhile, her father — 65-year-old suspect Ameer Zaman Mehsud — was chasing them and as soon as the woman reached the court’s premises, he opened fire near gate number four.

The suspect aimed the attack at his daughter and the head constable, which led to the killing of his daughter while Imran and Wajid sustain injuries, the police said.

The deceased, according to the SSP, was aged between 18 to 20 years old.

According to the police, the suspect’s weapon was seized and he was taken into custody.

The SSP told Geo News that the woman was killed following the marriage of her choice.

Femicide haunts Pakistani women

Earlier this year, Italian authorities found the body of an 18-year-old Pakistan-origin woman named Saman Abbas who went missing more than a year ago after refusing to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage, a lawyer for a rights group said.

Abbas was identified by dental records after human remains were found near her family home in the town of Novellara, Italy’s Reggio Emilia province, in November 2022.

In November last year, a man allegedly killed his wife, 38 and three daughters aged 16, 12, and 10, with a sharp-edged tool in Karachi's Shamsi Society, before trying to unsuccessfully stab himself to death.

The suspect identified as Fawad said he was depressed due to financial issues and was tired of explaining things to his wife. He confessed to killing his daughters while his wife was in the bathroom.

Several more cases of femicide were reported in Pakistan including the high-profile murder of Sara Inam, daughter-in-law of senior journalist Ayaz Amir, who was killed by her husband in the Chak Shahzad area of ​​Islamabad in September last year.

Karachi's rising crimes

Lawlessness in the city has increased with cases of murder and street crimes witnessing an uptick in the past few months.

A day earlier, a Sindh Rangers personnel was also shot dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Johar area.

According to the police, the incident appeared to be rooted in personal enmity. The police official said that the slain law enforcer was posted at the Rangers Headquarters and stepped out after taking a leave.

The Senior Superintendent of Police East Abdul Rahim Sherazi said that Rangers personnel Muhammad Khalid stopped by near the Millennium Shopping Mall in the area and was speaking with someone on his mobile phone. While he was on call, two suspects on a motorbike came and began talking to him. The suspects then opened fire at Khalid.

According to the law enforcers, the victim was allegedly targeted due to family enmity. The sources said that the Rangers personnel’s brother was also killed in rural Sindh a few years ago.