ROME: A man wanted for the killing of his 18-year-old daughter has been extradited from Pakistan to Italy where he will face trial, the Italian justice minister said on Thursday.

Shabbar Abbas was arrested in his village in eastern Pakistan last November on suspicion of killing Saman Abbas, his daughter, who had gone missing in April 2021 after refusing to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage.

“This is a step forward to allow justice to run its full course after a horrific crime,” Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said in a statement, adding that the suspect was on his way to Italy.

The teenaged victim was identified by dental records after human remains were found near her family home in the northern Italian town of Novellara more than a year after her disappearance.

Prosecutors believe that the family was angered when they found out that Saman had a boyfriend in Italy. They allege she was killed when she returned to the family home to collect some documents after living nearby for a while under the care of social services.

The father has denied that his daughter is dead. Her uncle was extradited from France to face trial, along with two of her cousins.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2023