PESHAWAR: A single-member Peshawar High Court bench has granted bail to a man charged with killing his newlywed daughter-in-law in Charsadda district in the name of honour.

Justice Syed Arshad Ali accepted the petition of the accused, Ghafoor Khan, observing that the petitioner was entitled to be extended the concession of bail.

The FIR of the killing was registered at the Khanmai police station under sections 302, 311 and 43 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of the deceased’s brother.

The complainant had accused both petitioner Ghafoor and his son, Zikriya, the woman’s husband, of committing the murder inside their house.

Both the accused were arrested by the police after the murder. Zikriya hasn’t filed a bail plea with the high court.

The prosecution claimed that the accused had suspicion about the character of the deceased, who was married to Zikriya few months ago.

Shabbir Hussain Gigyani, lawyer for the petitioner, contended that his client was falsely implicated in the case and that there was no witness to the murder.

He added that the complainant had accused the petitioner with committing the murder merely on the basis of hearsay.

The lawyer said the police’s investigation wing had failed to collect any evidence against the petitioner regarding his link with the murder.

Meanwhile, the bench also accepted the bail petition of the former husband and son of a woman, who was killed in Swabi, and ordered their release.

The prosecution had claimed that the deceased had got divorce from her husband, Ibrar Khan, and that she had two sons and a daughter from him.

The FIR of the murder was registered at the Swabi police station on the complaint of the deceased’s brother. Petitioners Ibrar and his son, Fawad, were charged with the ‘honour-killing’.

Their counsel contended that there were contradictions in the statements of prosecution witnesses as well as in the prosecution story and medical evidence in the case.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2021