HARIPUR: A man has accused his mother-in-law and her son of murdering his wife for honour and demanded registration of criminal case against them.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Syed Bilal Hussain Shah, a resident of Sera-i-Saleh village, said he had got married with the woman, 25, in the court on August 8, 2019, in Taxila.

He said on the request of her mother that the family wanted her proper marriage to avoid humiliation of the locals if they came to know about the court marriage.

However, later he said the parents barred her from meeting him.

Bilal Shah said the woman remained in contact with him on phone and informed him a few days ago that the attitude of her parents was becoming hostile towards her. He said on the morning of July 2, 2020, he was informed that the woman had died in a fire caused by gas leak.

Claims police not registering case

Refusing to agree with the statement of the woman’s parents, Bilal Shah said why no other family member was hurt in the incident.

On the complaint of Shah, the Sera-i-Saleh police shifted the body to the trauma centre where her autopsy was conducted. According to preliminary report the woman suffered 100 per cent burns.

However, for detailed analysis the samples from her body were sent to the forensic laboratory, but no FIR registered. Through a written complaint, Bilal Shah accused his mother-in-law and her son of setting his wife on fire in the name of honour.

He lamented that despite his complaint the police were not registering case against the accused.

Meanwhile, additional SHO Mukhtaj Khan said the cause of the death was fire, but the police were working on different angles. He said the case would be registered after the receipt of forensic lab report.

ACQUITTED: The model criminal and trial court Haripur on Monday acquitted a local journalist and PTI’s former woman councillor facing trial in murder case of journalist Bakhshish Elahi as the prosecution failed to establish its case.

According to the counsel for journalist Hanif Akhtar and former councillor Hina Akhtar, Mr Elahi was assassinated by two motorcyclists on June 11, 2017, in Lora Chowk when he was on way to Haripur city.

The police registered FIR against Hanif and Hina when Zulfiqar Ahmed, the slain journalist’s brother had, through a court statement, directly charged them for the murder. Both the accused later secured post-arrest bail and the case was put on trial.

However, during the trial, Zulfiqar retracted his earlier statement, saying he did not charge Hanif and Hina for the murder, and that local police officers had obtained his signatures on a written statement which he hardly could read at that time.

After three years of trial, the case was referred to the modal court last month.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2020