RAWALPINDI: A man allegedly shot and killed his sister-in-law and injured his ex-wife, who had filed a petition to dissolve her marriage (khula), in Mohalla Feroozpura in the Banni police area on Thursday, police said.

Talat Noreen, 22, sustained multiple bullet injuries after allegedly being shot by her ex-husband Waqas Haider, and was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) where her condition was stated to be critical. Ms Noreen’s elder sister, Asma Noreen, 34, was killed in the attack.

The preliminary police investigation suggested that Asma and her two daughters, aged nine and four, were living with her stepsister Ms Noreen in a rented home in Mohalla Feroozpura since Ms Noreen filed a petition to dissolve her marriage with Mr Haider.

Police said both women were followed home by Mr Haider from a court proceeding in Taxila, where their mother lives and where Ms Noreen had filed her petition. The police said both the victims and the alleged killer were on the court premises that morning, and after he followed them home he spoke to them for around 15 minutes.

“The khula case filed by Ms Talat Noreen against her husband was decided by the court of law today, as the Nikah nama and CNIC was found at the scene of the murder,” Inspector Tufail of the Banni police told Dawn.

He said Mr Haider shot his ex-wife and his sister-in-law at around 5pm and then fled. As a result, Asma was killed on the spot while Ms Noreen was severely injured.

“Waqas Haider could be seen clearly in CCTV images while fleeing and brandishing his pistol. The police team is after him and will arrest him soon,” Inspector Tufail said. Both victims were shifted to the BBH, where Asma was pronounced dead.

The police said the women’s parents were contacted but they refused to own their daughters. Police said they had disowned their daughters because the elder sister was divorced while the younger was in the process of doing the same.

Police said the women’s parents also refused to follow the case or own the body of their deceased daughter. They said the parents told them both their daughters had married against their will and told the police to bury the body wherever they wanted.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2016