PESHAWAR: Pakistani police on Friday identified the suspected killer of a young rights campaigner, who fought for seven years for justice for five possible victims of so-called honor killings, as his nephew.
Mohammed Afzal, 31, also known as Afzal Kohistani, was shot dead on Wednesday in the northwestern district of Abbottabad, area police chief Abbas Majeed said.
“We have arrested an accused from the scene of the crime and recovered a pistol from him,” he said.
He identified the suspect as Afzal’s nephew. The accused was not available for comment and police offered no motive or explanation for his alleged involvement.
Police have registered a case against him recommending he be charged with murder, Majeed said.
More than 1,000 women are killed in Pakistan each year in honor killings. They often occur when a girl refuses an arranged marriage or chooses her own husband. But women have also been killed for talking to men, wearing jeans or leaving abusive homes.
Many are executed on the orders of male tribal councils called jirgas, which have also handed down sentences of rape or mutilation.
Afzal made headlines in 2012, claiming a tribal council had ordered the execution of four women and two of his brothers after a grainy video emerged of the group singing and clapping to music in the remote Pallas Valley in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A fifth girl, 12 years old, was killed for talking to her sister after the sentence had been passed, he said.
While the case was being heard in court in 2013, three of Afzal’s brothers — including the two in the video — were killed. The family’s land was seized and their home burned down.
What happened to the five women remains a mystery. Two out of three investigators at the time concluded after a hurried investigation that they were alive and the matter was dropped.
But a witness told Reuters in 2013 that the women had been killed.
They were never produced before any court, and although investigators were able to take photos and fingerprints of some of them, these were never compared to their national identity cards.
Afzal’s killing sparked online tributes from Pakistan’s small but vocal civil society. Opposition lawmakers Sherry Rehman said she would take up his death in parliament
Young Pakistani seeking justice for ‘honor killings’ shot dead by nephew, police say
Young Pakistani seeking justice for ‘honor killings’ shot dead by nephew, police say
- Activist Afzal Kohistani, was shot dead in Abbottabad on Wednesday
- More than 1,000 women are killed in Pakistan each year in honor killings
KSrelief concludes second phase of livestock-based economic empowerment project in Pakistan
- The charity provided 1,000 vulnerable households in northwest Pakistan with poultry livelihood packages under second phase
- The package for each family included 25 poultry birds, 50 kilograms of feed, feeders, drinker, egg tray and protective mesh
ISLAMABAD: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has successfully concluded the second phase of its project to economically empower vulnerable households in Pakistan through livestock provision, the Saudi charity said on Tuesday.
Under the second phase of the project, 1,000 vulnerable households in Pakistan’s Swat, Swabi, Haripur and Mansehra districts were supported through the provision of comprehensive poultry livelihood packages.
Each beneficiary family received 25 poultry birds along with a complete poultry kit, comprising 50 kilograms of feed, two sets of feeders, one drinker, an egg tray, and protective mesh, according to KSrelief.
“In addition, a total of 40 structured training sessions on poultry management and income generation were conducted with technical support from the Livestock Department, equipping beneficiaries with essential skills to sustainably manage small-scale poultry enterprises,” the Saudi charity said.
“The project was implemented by the Peace and Development Organization (PADO) in close coordination with the Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department (RRSD), PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the local district administrations.”
Over the years, KSrelief has launched numerous projects across Pakistan in food security, health, education and disaster response, deepening the bonds of friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.
The ‘Economic Empowerment of Vulnerable Households in Pakistan through Livestock Provision Project’ aims to enhance economic resilience, improve household nutrition and strengthen food security among vulnerable communities across the four targeted districts in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to KSrelief.
“With the successful completion of this phase, the project has contributed to promoting self-reliance, dignified income generation, and long-term livelihood sustainability,” the charity said, promising to support vulnerable populations and foster inclusive economic development across Pakistan.
