Four accused held in Waziristan honour killing case

MIRANSHAH: The police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested four accused in connection with the recent murder of two teenage girls in the name of honour in North Waziristan.

Speaking at a press conference, District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur said that raids were being conducted to arrest the main accused identified as Mahmood Aslam who is stated to be paternal cousin of the girls. The two girls aged 16 and 18 were shot dead in Garyum in North Waziristan on May 14.

He said that the family of the slain girls, who were sisters, and the local people did not want the police to investigate the crime. However, he added that the police had registered the case at the Razmak Police Station on behalf of the state and an investigation team had been formed to probe the matter.

It is stated to be the first incident of its kind in North Waziristan, a former tribal agency that became a district when erstwhile Fata was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The short, 52-second video was made on mobile phone. The two teenaged girls and the man, who recorded the video outdoors, are seen in the footage along with a third woman, who was stated to be the wife of the killer and had been spared.

The DPO said that the family of the girls originally belonged to South Waziristan and had shifted to North Waziristan when the military operation was carried out in their areas. The bodies of the girls were secretly shifted to their native Shaktoi area in South Waziristan for burial.

He said that the father of the two girls was also among the four arrested persons. He added that one of the accused, Umar Ayaz, who allegedly leaked the video, belonged to Torikhel in North Waziristan. The DPO said that the video showing the two girls had been made a year ago and had been recently leaked to social media.

Shafiullah Khan said that the police had formed an investigation team on the instructions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi. He vowed that all the accused would soon be brought to justice.

He urged the local people to seek help from the police without any fear or hesitation and the cops would extend all-out support to them keeping in view the local customs and traditions. He added that it was the upmost responsibility of the police to protect the life and property of the local people.