Police arrest journalist Ayaz Amir in connection with murder of daughter-in-law

ISLAMABAD: The police on Saturday arrested veteran journalist and PTI member Ayaz Amir in connection with the murder of his daughter-in-law Sara Inam.

Amir's son Shahnawaz Amir allegedly killed Sara in Islamabad’s Chak Shehzad area on Friday September 23. He has been remanded into police custody for two days.

The development came after Colonel (retd) Ikram and Zia-ur-Raheem, uncles of Sara Inam, nominated Ayaz and his former wife in their niece’s murder case, police sources said.

Amir was taken to Shahzad Town police station, where in the police report registered following the murder, an additional clause Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code was added at the request of Sara's uncles. The police had already added Section 302 (punishment for murder) to the report.

Police sources spoke of a rift between Shahnawaz and Sara, stating that the suspect had not informed his wife about his two previous marriages and demanded money from her time and again on false pretexts.

According to the sources, the suspect fraudulently registered a car — which Sara had purchased for herself — on his own name.

A row broke out between the two after Sara found out what her husband had done, the police sources said.

The sources further said that when Sara demanded  her money back and the ownership of her car, Shahnawaz "murdered her".

As per the sources, Shahnawaz was a drug addict and would ask Sara for money every now and then.

They said that Sara had not informed her parents — residing in Canada — about her marriage to Shahnawaz.

The murdered woman was also a Canadian national and was working at an important position in the United Arab Emirates’ economics ministry.

Both Sara and Shahnawaz connected via social media. Three months ago, the victim came to Pakistan and Shahnawaz’s friends had the two married in Chakwal, police said.

Their marriage, according to the police, is not registered in Pakistan.

The victim agreed to marry her husband considering his father is a renowned journalist.