BATTAGRAM: The brother of Mohammad Afzal Kohistani, the whistleblower in Kohistan video scandal, killed a relative here the other day in yet another incident of honor killing.

The incident took place in Biari village in the Allai tehsil of Battagram district, when Gul Nazar, younger brother of the late whistleblower shot dead a relative identified as Waqar Ahmed.

An official of the Banna police station in whose jurisdiction the incident took place confirmed to the Dawn that slain was on his way to Biari village along with other people when Gul Nazar along with a relative, Gul Shahzada stopped the vehicle.

The official said that when Waqar got out of the car, the accused opened fire, killing him on the spot.

The deceased was suspected of having illicit relation with Kohistani’s widow

Suleman, brother of the slain, told Banna police that the accused suspected Waqar of having illicit relations with Afzal Kohistani’s widow.

The police registered FIR and started investigations.

Fate of Afzal’s widow, Hira, and a three-year-old daughter is unknown. Hira’s Abbottabad-based family has approached cantonment police station stating that the widow and her minor daughter have been missing for past some days.

An Abbottabad police official told Dawn that they were actively looking for the woman and her daughter.

“We have dispatched a team to Battagram to look for the missing mother and daughter; however, there is no trace of them as yet,” the official said.

The official said that they were looking for the woman’s cell phone data.

Afzal Kohistani himself was murdered in Abbottabad earlier on March 6 this year and police had arrested his nephew on charges of killing him. He was killed after about eight years long struggle against the menace of honor killing in his native Kohistan.

In May 2012, a grainy video of four women singing and clapping and a boy dancing went viral in the ultra-conservative and remote district, which was filmed at the Afzal Kohistani’s home and the boy dancing in the video was identified as Gul Nazar, the same person who murdered his relative on Saturday.

Another brother of Afzal, Bin Yasir, is said to be responsible for filming the infamous video. The video has claimed seven lives, including the three women who appeared in it, and four people, including Afzal Kohistani and his three brothers.

The case was taken up by the Supreme Court on at least three occasions and the killing of women was established years later.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2019