SWAT: A man barged into the house of his in-laws here on Tuesday night, killing four persons, including his wife and mother-in-law, the police said on Wednesday.

They said the incident occurred in Sarbab village of Marghuzar, when Saifullah, a resident of Buner district, broke into her in-laws’ house and opened indiscriminate fire, killing his wife, Zainab, his mother-in-law, Sultana Bibi and her two children, Ayesha and Zubair. The accused fled the scene after committing the crime.

A relative of the deceased told reporters that Zainab, wife of Saifullah, was not happy with her husband as he used to inflict violence on her.

“Last time Zainab came to her parents’ house after she was beaten up by her in-laws, and did not go back to her house. Her parents had also filed a case in the court to get her divorced, and the court had already decided the case in favour of Zainab,” Rahmat Ali, a resident of Sarbab, told Dawn.

He added that Saifullah sneaked into the house on Tuesday night and shot dead four persons, including his wife.

Meanwhile, residents of Marghuzar on Wednesday blocked the main Mingora-Saidu Sharif Road to condemn the murders.

The protesters put the bodies on the road in front of the Swat district courts, blocking it to traffic.

They said they won’t open the road until the accused was arrested. No official from the district administration or the police visited the bereaved family or the protesters to get the road reopened till filing of this report.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2023