MANSEHRA: A young man was killed for honour in the Kundain village of Torghar district as the police managed to rescue the woman suspected to be in relation with the deceased.

“We feared for the woman’s life due to her alleged connection with the deceased, so we shifted her to Darul Aman (shelter home) for her protection,” DSP Sardar Javed told the reporters in Judbah, the district headquarters of Torghar, on Sunday.

According to police, the accused suspected that his sister-in-law, 17, had illicit relations with a man, and allegedly chased and fatally shot him while he was grazing cattle in a field, and then fled the scene.

“Upon receiving reports of the murder, we immediately dispatched a team along with policewomen to the woman’s residence. Our team reached there after walking five hours and brought her to the police station,” DSP Javed said.

HRCP demands action against honour, gender-based violence

He said the woman was later produced before a civil judge at his camp office in Oghi, who ordered her to be shifted to Darul Aman in Mansehra for her safety.

Mr Javed said her husband had currently been serving a jail sentence in Mansehra in connection with a separate murder case.

“Preliminary investigation suggests the woman had sought divorce from her incarcerated husband. His brother, in response, murdered the young man and planned to kill her as well,” said DSP Javed.

Judbah police registered an FIR and launched raids to apprehend the suspect.

Meanwhile, Zahid Khan, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s representative in Torghar, condemned the incident and urged authorities to take stronger action against honour and gender-based violence, as homicide over this issue was higher here as compared with the neighbouring districts.

“Torghar was granted the status of a settled district in 2011 through a presidential order, yet we continue to live under tribal-era practices. It’s time the law protects both men and women from being killed under the guise of honour,” he said.

TOURIST KILLED: A tourist from Gujranwala drowned, while three others were rescued after their car plunged into the Kunhar River in the Faridabad area of Balakot on Sunday.

“We rescued three injured tourists and shifted them to a nearby health facility,” Amir Khadam, an official of Rescue 1122, told reporters.

The car, driven by Mohammad Nadeem, was carrying three tourists, Shan Yunus, Mohammad Shoaib, and Mohammad Husnain, back to Gujranwala from Naran when the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp turn.

The vehicle skidded off the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road and plunged into the river.

Locals and Rescue 1122 personnel managed to pull out the driver and two other passengers, Nadeem, Yunus and Shoaib.

The injured were taken to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Balakot and later referred to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad due to the severity of their injuries. One of them was reported to be in critical condition.

The body of the fourth tourist, Husnain, remained missing as search and rescue efforts continued into the evening.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2025