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Samia Shahid murder: SHO arrested for ‘negligence’ in dealing with case

ISLAMABAD: An SHO of Jhelum police has been arrested for showing negligence after a British-Pakistani woman was allegedly killed for honour in a village near Mangla.

Samia Shahid, from Bradford, was found dead in Pandori village in Jhelum District in the house of her first husband Shakeel Ahmed on July 20th. The family said she died a natural death.

However, her second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim alleged that she was killed by her family as they disapproved of her marriage with him. On the basis of his complaint, Jhelum police booked Ahmed, and Samia’s father Muhammad Shahid for murder.

Both are in jail on judicial remand but have not been charged yet. A high-level team constituted by the Punjab government and headed by DIG Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh is investigating the case.

The investigation team on Friday, September 2 ordered arrest of Mangla SHO Inspector Aqeel Abbas for showing negligence in the case. Officials at Mangla Police Station confirmed that Abbas had been arrested.

Meanwhile, Mangla police have also arrested Shakeel Ahmed’s uncle Haq Nawaz for allegedly submitting a forged medical certificate to the police after Samia’s death.

A few days ago Haq Nawaz had submitted an application to the police seeking registration of a criminal case against Mukhtar Kazim for her “illegal marriage” with Samia. Haq Nawaz maintains that Kazim married an already married woman, which is a crime under the Pakistani law. “Shakeel Ahmed married Samia Shahid according to law on February 27, 2012 and has never divorced her,” the application reads.

Marriage certificate issued by the union council concerned is attached with the application. Nawaz maintains that Kazim and Samia married fraudulently and through fake documents in the UK.

“Samia Shahid, Mukhtar Kazim, Syed Abbas Shah and Zilak Shah prepared fake documents and impersonated Shakeel Ahmed before the UK authorities,” reads the application.

He has requested the police to book Kazim, Samia and the two other persons for impersonation, fraud, forgery and fornication. Police had also claimed that Ahmed confessed to strangulating Samia to death.

However, Barrister Masroor Shah, counsel for Haq Nawaz, said confession before the police had no value unless the suspect confessed before a court. “How could have Shakeel Ahmed appeared before the UK authorities when he has never travelled to the UK, as his passport shows?” questioned Shah.

He said they would move court against the police under Section 22-A of CrPC if the police did not register a case. The SHO has been booked for causing the disappearance of evidence and providing false information. Meanwhile, Samia’s father has applied for bail. The court will take up the case on September 10th.

The Express Tribune

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