GUJRAT: The father of Samia Shahid, the British woman of Pakistani origin who was allegedly killed for ‘honour’, has reportedly changed his statement by saying that his daughter had committed suicide. In his initial statement, Chaudhry Shahid had told police that his daughter died of a cardiac arrest.

The fresh statement by him was given before the four-member investigation team, headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh.

The investigators on Saturday visited the Mangla Police Station and also held a meeting with the officials of the local police at Police Lines.

Sources in police told Dawn that Chaudhry Shahid, a suspect in the case lodged by Syed Mukhtar Kazim, the second husband of Samia, had told the investigators that his daughter had committed suicide.

Police are keeping development, if any, in the case secret and even the spokesman for the Jhelum district police officer (DPO) is the least available for his comments to the media.

The investigation team has widened the scope of the investigation into the case as now sub-inspector of homicide unit of the Jhelum Sadar circle who was previously investigating the case, the Mangla station house office and other officials concerned will also be questioned besides the lady doctor and medico-legal officers, related to the autopsy and forensic evidence of the dead body.

The investigation was launched on the orders of the Punjab chief minister on Thursday to complete the inquiry into the matter within 72 hours.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2016