RAWALPINDI: An additional district and sessions court in Rawalpindi has indicted eight accused, including the head of a jirga and a local political figure, in the alleged ‘honour killing’ of a newly married woman in the Pirwadahi area.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Farhat Jabeen Rana framed charges against the suspects, including jirga head and Muslim League leader Asmatullah Khan. All accused pleaded not guilty.
The court also granted post-arrest bail to two more suspects — Saleh Muhammad Khan (father-in-law of the victim) and Amani Gul (uncle-in-law) — against surety bonds of Rs2 million each. The hearing was adjourned until April 6, with directions to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis.
The accused had killed a girl named Sidra in the name of honour on the orders of a Jirga and buried the body secretly and got registered a case about the girl fleeing her house due to fear of scandal. The police of Pirwadhai registered case No. 926 under Section 496A of the Pakistan Penal Code on July 21, 2025, on the complaint of Ziaur Rehman, husband of the deceased. He stated that he got married to Sidra on January 17, 2025. On July 11, the couple had a minor argument over a domestic issue and that night, his wife fled the house along with 10 tolas of gold and Rs150,000 in cash.
During search for her, it was revealed that the woman had been an illicit relationship with a man, Usman, and she had eloped with him.
However, the police investigation made it clear the woman was killed and buried secretly. Later police included sections 302, 311, 201 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code in the case.
The six main accused in the case were former vice-chairman of the union council and Muslim League leader and cousin of the victim, Asmatullah Khan, the victim’s father Arab Gul, brother Zafarullah Khan, husband Ziaur Rehman, father-in-law Saleh Muhammad Khan alias Salim Khan and uncle-in-law Amani Gul alias Mani Gul, secretary of the cemetery committee Saifur Rehman Khan, gravedigger Rashid Mahmood and loader rickshaw driver Khial Muhammad.
The police investigation revealed that the woman was strangled on the night of July 16-17 last year on the orders of a jirga. The accused covered the victim’s body in a polythene bag, took it to the cemetery in a loader rickshaw, buried it, and then erased the grave markers.
In this case, the court has already granted bail to six accused, while on Thursday, the last two accused, Saleh Muhammad Khan, the victim’s father-in-law, and Amani Gul, her uncle-in-law, were also granted bail against Rs2 million surety bond each.
