KARACHI: A man in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi is suspected and under arrest for pushing his wife to her death from the fourth floor of a building following a quarrel over Rs300 ($1.33), police said on Monday.
Pakistan sees thousands of cases of violence against women every year, from rape and acid attacks to sexual assault, kidnappings, domestic abuse and so-called honor killings. Most incidents go largely unreported, particularly in rural areas, where poverty and stigma prevent victims from speaking out.
A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report released last month said 32 percent of women in Pakistan had experienced violence.
About the latest incident, police said the suspect, identified as Muhammad Adil, a security guard at a fuel station, had a fight with his wife Mayrium, 21, on Saturday that involved money.
Adil, now booked for murder, had given his wife Rs1,500 on Friday, police said, but when she returned the money the following day, it was Rs300 short.
“Adil pushed his wife off the building after she told him that she had deposited Rs300 at a shop to buy milk for their four-year-old son,” Amin Solangi, Station House Officer (SHO) at Risala Police station told Arab News, saying neighbors called the police.
The officer said the suspect initially said the death was an accident but later confessed to murdering his wife while he was being interrogated.
“They [neighbors] said the couple was quarreling and after a while the woman fell off the fourth floor of the Zubaida Building near Lady Dufferin Hospital of the city,” Solangi said.
“The woman was going to bring back the money from the milk shop situated beneath the building, but her husband ended her life before she could do that,” the officer added.
The death comes less than a month after a man allegedly killed his wife and three daughters with a dagger in Karachi and then attempted suicide with the same weapon.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar on Tuesday agreed to deepen their strategic and economic cooperation during high-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Sharif’s office said.
Sharif visited Qatar along with a high-level delegation on the invitation of Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Pakistani premier also held meetings with Qatar’s trade and defense ministers to discuss cooperation in various domains.
The visit came at a time when Pakistan is seeking closer economic engagement with Gulf partners amid its broader push to stabilize the economy and attract investment, while maintaining security and defense cooperation with key regional states.
During their meeting in Doha, PM Sharif and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments, according to the Pakistan prime minister’s office.
“They reaffirmed the strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional ties,” Sharif’s office said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture, with both sides stressing the importance of their task force to accelerate cooperation in all these areas.”
Pakistan and Qatar maintain strong trade and investment ties. In 2022, the office of Qatar’s emir said the Qatar Investment Authority planned to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, targeting sectors including transport, aviation, education, health, media, technology and labor.
Nearly 300,000 Pakistanis live and work in Qatar, according to Pakistan’s foreign office, with many employed in health, education, engineering and public services, as well as construction and transport. The two countries engage through forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Ministerial Commission.
Sharif said he had productive discussions with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on how the two sides could transform their brotherly ties into mutually beneficial economic relationships.
“We also took stock of the regional situation,” he said on X. “Pakistan and Qatar will continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (second right) meets the Qatari Emir Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (left) in Doha, Qatar, on February 24, 2026. (PID)
DIALOGUE WITH AFGHANISTAN
Earlier, Sharif and Qatar’s Deputy PM Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani discussed the situation in Afghanistan and called for dialogue to support regional stability.
The meeting took place amid renewed tensions after Islamabad carried out airstrikes last week on what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and vowed to respond to what it called a violation of its sovereignty.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both sides emphasized the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.”
This was the second time in less than six months that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan. The last strikes triggered heavy, weeklong clashes between the neighbors along their border before Qatar and Turkiye mediated a ceasefire between them in Oct. last year.
Separately, Sharif held meetings with Qatar’s State Minister for Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), highlighting Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms.
He invited QBA members to explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing, his office said.
