June 22, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 06, 1428

MARDAN, June 21: A woman of Shahbaz Garhi, who had earlier been pronounced dead due to natural cause, had been stoned to death in the name of honour by her husband, father and a brother, a court was told here on Thursday.

The woman’s father, Sarwar Khan, and husband, Wajid, admitted before a local court to have killed her because they suspected that she had illicit relations with someone in the area. The woman, Amreen, had been killed on June 9.

The judicial magistrate, who was hearing an application filed by police for exhuming the body, did not allow exhumation after the two’s confession.

It is learnt that Amreen had come to her father’s house on June 8 but left the house the same night on the pretext of going to hospital. She returned home in the morning. She was killed on suspicion of having illicit relations with someone.

The local police were later informed by people in the neighbourhood that they had heard screams from the house and they suspected that the woman might have been killed by her family members.

Police approached the court for exhuming the body for autopsy to know the cause of the death. But the accused confessed to have killed the woman and requested the court not to exhume the body.

The Shahbaz Garhi police arrested the father and husband of the woman.

Her brother, Mohammad Amin, is still at large.

Meanwhile, social circles and NGOs of Mardan have condemned the killing of the woman.

Poverty Eradication and Community Empowerment chairman Naveed Khan demanded an inquiry into the incident so the accused could be awarded exemplary punishment.

He also urged human rights organisations to take notice of the killing in the name of honour.

MAN KILLED: A resident of Mardan Khas, Alamzeb Khan, was axed to death on Wednesday by his maternal uncles on suspicion of having illicit relations with a girl of their family.

The Hoti police registered an FIR against the accused, Shahid and Javed.