Woman, baby girl killed for ‘honour’ in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: A woman and her infant baby girl were killed for honour in Mansehra, police said.

The incident took place on the Friday following Eidul Fitr. The victim, identified as Rabia Shah, had married Muhammad Umar in 2022 through a court marriage against her family’s will. The couple’s 16-month-old daughter, Ayeza, was also killed by the attackers.

Muhammad Umar, who currently resides in Saudi Arabia, had a brief call with his wife Rabia Shah over the phone. She told him she would call him again after offering her prayers, but she never called him back.

After a few hours, Umar kept calling his wife repeatedly, but no one picked up. He later learned that his wife and their 16-month-old daughter had been killed.

According to Mansehra Police DSP Javed Khan, the victims were allegedly murdered by Rabia Shah’s family for honour. He said that efforts were under way to arrest the accused, who are at large.

The double murder occurred on April 4 in the Jaba area of Mansehra, and a case has been registered on the complaint of Muhammad Umar’s mother, Nasreen Bibi.

Sharing details of the incident, Nasreen Bibi said, “My daughter-in-law begged the assailants not to harm her 16-month-old daughter, saying she was just an innocent child. She pleaded, ‘Uncle, don’t kill me either,’ but they showed no mercy or compassion.”

Nasreen said that Rabia’s family had never accepted her marriage to Muhammad Umar, which is why the couple had a court marriage in 2022.

“We had tried to convince our son not to go through with it. We told him, ‘You are our only son, and her family has refused the proposal and your lives could be in danger.’”

Despite the warnings, she said, her son and the daughter-in-law went ahead with the court marriage and moved to Karachi. Their daughter was born there, and later Muhammad Umar went to Saudi Arabia after obtaining a visa, she said.

After Umar’s departure to Saudi Arabia, Nasreen brought her daughter-in-law and granddaughter to live with her in Mansehra.

Nasreen’s brother, Muhammad Shafiq, told BBC Urdu that they tried for years to reconcile with the Rabia Shah’s family but “they turned down our proposal.”

He said that they had hoped that since their son was abroad no harm would be done to his wife and daughter.

What Does the FIR Say?

The double murder was initially registered at Mansehra’s Saddar Police Station, but the initial FIR did not include clauses relating to honour killings.

According to the DSP, a supplementary FIR was later filed, adding sections about honour killing — making the case ineligible for any compromise or out-of-court settlement.

He said that raids were being carried out to arrest the nominated suspects.

According to the FIR, Nasreen Bibi told the police that around 1pm on April 4, she was reciting the Quran at home, and her daughter-in-law Rabia Shah and granddaughter Ayeza Noor were also in the house.

“At that time, Rabia’s cousin entered the house. I offered him food, but he just looked around and left.”

Nasreen said that shortly afterward, Rabia’s uncle entered with three unidentified men. “Her uncle put a gun to my temple while the three unknown men went into my daughter-in-law’s room. Rabia pleaded with one of them not to kill her, but he shot her and she fell to the ground.”

The FIR further stated, “Similarly, another man shot the baby girl, who sustained injuries on various parts of her body.”

“After the shooting, the assailants fled the scene. Both my daughter-in-law and granddaughter died on the spot. The motive behind the killings was her court marriage with my son,” according to the FIR.

‘Opposing Group Took Away Woman’s Body’

Muhammad Shafiq said that after the murder, while they were taking Rabia and Ayeza’s bodies for post-mortem, the “opposing group” stopped them and took away Rabia’s body saying, “She is our girl, and we will perform her funeral rites ourselves.” However, they allowed the family to take the infant’s body, he said.

He said they handed over their daughter-in-law’s body to the opposing group to avoid further bloodshed, while they themselves buried the granddaughter.

Mansehra Police DSP Javed Khan said that the deceased woman’s body was handed over to her parents “with mutual consent.”

According to him, police have completed all legal procedures, including the post-mortem, which revealed that “both deaths were caused by close-range gunfire.”

Speaking to BBC Urdu over the phone, Rabia’s husband, Muhammad Umar, said that he and Rabia were classmates in school and later decided to marry. But when he formally proposed to her family, his proposal was rejected. Umar said even his own parents were not in favour of the marriage without the girl’s family’s consent.

Umar lived in Karachi for a while, and after the birth of their daughter, he moved to Saudi Arabia in hopes of securing a better future for her.

He said, “I thought Rabia’s family considered me the wrongdoer, the accused, and that they would not harm her in my absence.”

“When I went to Saudi Arabia, my daughter was just two months old. Now she was 16 months. After work, I used to video call and watch my daughter — how her mother was putting her to sleep — and I would talk to her.”

According to Muhammad Umar, he used to send toys and other items for his daughter with those who travelled from Saudi Arabia to Mansehra. He had been trying to bring his wife and daughter to live with him in Saudi Arabia.

He said that he now fears that if he returns to Pakistan, he too will be killed.