Woman survives murder attempt by relatives

Published June 6, 2014
—File photo
—File photo

LAHORE: An 18-year-old girl has survived being shot and thrown into a canal by her family for marrying the man she loved, police said, weeks after the “honour killing” of another woman drew worldwide condemnation.

Ali Akbar, a police official, said Saba Maqsood had been attacked and shot at allegedly by her father, uncle, brother and aunt and thrown into the waterway in Hafizabad town in Punjab.

“It is an honour-related incident,” Mr Akbar said.

“The victim, Saba...married her neighbour Mohammad Qaiser for love five days ago against the wishes of her family. They took her to Hafizabad, shot her twice and threw her in the canal after putting her in a sack, presuming that she was dead.”

Mr Akbar said the girl had been wounded in her cheek and right hand. Her relatives fled the scene, and after minutes in the water she regained consciousness and managed to struggle to the bank, where two passers-by helped her.

“She is a brave girl. She came out of the canal and approached a nearby fuel station from where a rescue team rushed her to hospital,” he said.

Last month, Farzana Iqbal was attacked and killed in broad daylight outside a court in Lahore by suspected family members because she had married the man she loved. The case drew intense global attention, including condemnation from the United Nations.

Police official Akbar said he had recorded a statement from Saba Maqsood in which she blamed her family for the attack.

“I was tortured and shot by my father Maqsood Ahmad, brother Faisal Maqsood, uncle Ashfaq Ahmad and his wife Sajida Bibi,” he quoted her as saying.

The official added: “Her condition is out of danger and we have registered a case against her family on her complaint.”

Police raided her father’s home in Gujranwala but all the suspects had disappeared, he said.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2014

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...