MULTAN, Jan 20: Judicial Magistrate Ali Raza Awan on Tuesday ordered release of two accused in the Afsheen murder case on police request to discharge them.

Police had submitted the request for discharging Haji Naveed Akhtar and Taufiq on Monday, pleading that they were found innocent during investigation. The judge had adjourned the matter for Tuesday.

Arsalan, the slain girl's brother, has already been discharged by police after court permission. The remaining four accused - Musarrat Hussain Sahu, the father of Afsheen, her grandfather Allah Ditta Sahu, and two other relatives, Fazeel Raza and Hammad, were sent to jail on judicial remand on Monday by judge with direction that they be produced again on Jan 31.

The judge also asked police to submit challan at the earliest. Afsheen, a 20-year old computer science graduate, was allegedly strangled by her relatives for honour and matter came to prominence when President Gen Pervez Musharraf ordered an inquiry into it after taking notice of some press reports. The girl wanted to marry her maternal cousin instead of her paternal cousin to whom she was forced to marry. - APP