Death of Samia Shahid
| Native name | سامعہ شاہد کا قتل |
|---|---|
| Date | July 20, 2016 |
| Location | Pandori, Jhelum, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 33°6′0″N 73°37′0″E / 33.10000°N 73.61667°E |
| Type | Honour killing |
| Cause | asphyxiation as a result of strangulation |
| Convicted |
|
| Charges | Murder, Rape |
Samia Shahid (1987–20 July 2016) was a Pakistani-British beautician from Bradford who was raped and murdered on 20 July 2016 by her ex-husband with the help of his father in Punjab, Pakistan.[1]
Background
Samia Shahid was married to Shakeel Ahmed in February 2012 in Pakistan and was divorced in 2014. In the same year she married Mukhtar Kazim whom she met in Dubai.[2]
Murder
In July 2016, Samia Shahid received a phone call from her family in Northern Punjab, Pakistan and was asked to visit the hometown as her father was critically ill. She reached Pakistan on 14 July 2016 and was found dead in her ex-husband and cousin Shakeel Ahmed's house in Pandori, Jhelum on 20 July 2016, five days after landing at Islamabad airport.[3] Her second husband Mukhtar Kazim contacted the Pakistani authorities and reported that Samia was killed by her family because they rejected their marriage and made a complaint seeking a full investigation into his wife's death. Kazim also told that her wife had angered her parents by converting to his sect, Shia Islam before their wedding and she was killed for honour.[4] On the basis of his complaint, Samia' father Muhammad Shahid and Shakeel Ahmed were arrested by Jhelum police and were sent to jail on judicial remand.[5] Muhammad Shahid told the police that her daughter died of Heart attack and also claimed that she was still married to Shakeel Ahmed. Punjab Government constituted a team headed by DIG Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh began investigating the case. The team first arrested SHO Aqeel Abbas who reached on the scene on 2 September for showing carelessness in handling the case. The police report reveled that she was murdered by her father and ex-husband.[6] Shakeel confessed to the investigators that he had killed Samia Shahid when he appeared in the Jhelum court alongside victim's father. It was concluded that Muhammad Shahid held down Samia's legs and Shakeel Ahmed raped her before strangling her with her scarf.[7][8] The police report also revealed that a day before reaching Islamabad, Samia sent a text message to her friend named Laila saying that she was in fear for her life.[9]
“Pray I come bk alive on 21jul my psyco cuzzan u see”
— Text message sent by Samia Shahid to her friend Laila[2]
The head of investigation team DIG Abu Bakar Buksh told the media: “We have completed our investigation and concluded that her ex-husband Muhammad Shakeel and father Muhammad Shahid were involved in her killing. Her ex-husband has also been charged with raping her,” The report also said that Shahid could have pardoned his nephew if he had been charged with Samia's murder under The Diyya law of Pakistan. The police also accused Samia's mother and sister for who moved to the United Kingdom after her murder.[10]
References
- ^ Mustafa, Jamil (2 September 2016). "'Honour killing' victim Samia Shahid raped before death, say Pakistan police". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ a b Boyle, Darren (8 September 2016). "'Pray I come back alive': Chilling text messages of Bradford woman 'murdered in Pakistani honour killing' as images of room where police say she was RAPED are revealed". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Boone, Jon (29 July 2016). "'I have to get justice for her': was this British woman a victim of 'honour' killing?". The Guardian. Islamabad, Pakistan. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Altaf, Arsalan (27 August 2016). "Samia Shahid murder case: Accused's family seeks case over 'illegal second marriage'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Boone, Jon (17 August 2016). "Samia Shahid 'honour killing': ex-husband and father remain in custody". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ "Ex-husband, father charged in Samia Shahid's murder case". Dawn. 3 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Arshad Shaheen; Raja Nobahar (14 August 2016). "Ex-husband confesses to killing Samia Shahid for honour". Express Tribune. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Altaf, Arsalan (3 September 2016). "British woman raped before being killed for 'honour' in Pakistan". Express Tribune. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ "British woman killed for 'honour' sent tragic text before death". Express Tribune. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Boone, Jon (6 September 2016). "Samia Shahid's father allegedly hoped to use blood money laws to get away with murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2016.