KARACHI: A newly married woman was shot dead and her husband critically wounded in Gulshan-i-Hadeed when they were returning to Karachi after appearing before a Thatta court on Tuesday, police said.

Malir SSP Abdul Khaliq Pirzada told Dawn that Fatima Zehra, 18, who originally hailed from Dhabeji, had recently married Akbar Ali, a resident of Korangi.

Akbar’s father, Shahid, told the media that his son and Fatima had married of their own free will about three months ago at the City Courts. He said Fatima’s parents had subsequently lodged a kidnapping case in Thatta.

The couple appeared before the court on Monday, where Fatima stated that she had married Akbar of her own free will, he said.

He said that the court had directed the Thatta police to provide protection to the couple on their return journey. However, he alleged that the police dropped them at Gulshan-i-Hadeed, saying that the area fell within the jurisdiction of Karachi police.

The Steel Town police said that the couple was targeted near the Attock petrol pump on the National Highway by unidentified assailants travelling in a white Suzuki Alto.

SSP Pirzada said police had conducted raids and arrested one suspect, while efforts were underway to apprehend the other suspects.

The body and the injured were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The hospital officials said that Fatima sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026