MUZAFFARABAD: The family of a man who was killed along with his wife in the name of ‘honour’ placed the bodies of both victims on a main road linking Rawalakot with Muzaffarabad throughout Wednesday, demanding that the main suspect be arrested.

The bodies were removed at about 6pm after a committee of locals was constituted to serve as guarantors by the Poonch divisional commissioner that the suspect, who is also wanted in another case, will be apprehended within 48 hours.

Owais Riaz, 30, and his 18-year-old wife Aliza were found dead in an isolated house in Danna Kotehra on Tuesday, four days after they had married in a court.

Riaz had married another girl for love two years ago and had to run away with her as well.

The couple were allowed to come back to the village after a jirga decided on the matter. After he had a daughter with his first wife, he had moved to Saudi Arabia for work.

According to Inayat Hussein, an official in the City Police Station, Rawalakot, Riaz came back to Pakistan on July 29 and married Aliza in front of a judicial magistrate on Aug 5.

A local, Shoaib Arif, told the couple to stay in his house so that they would be safe from the girl’s family.

On Tuesday evening, Mr Arif told police that he had come home from work to find both of them shot dead.

Police handed over the bodies to Riaz’s family after autopsies were conducted in the early hours of Wednesday.

In the FIR, Riaz’s father alleged that the couple were killed by Aliza’s paternal uncle Niaz Ahmed who was wanted by police in another case as well.

Niaz was booked under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and the girl’s father Nisar Ahmed, his relatives Khadim and Zahid and the owner of the house in which the couple had taken refuge were arrested and booked for abetment in the crime, Mr Hussein said.

Riaz’s family placed the bodies on the road and demanded that the main suspect also be arrested. Divisional Commissioner Zafar Mehmood assured them that the suspect would be apprehended within two days and formed a council of elders to serve as guarantors of his assurance.

Later, Aliza’s body was handed over to her family.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016