Karachi woman killed by family after marrying man of her choice

A tragic incident has been reported in Orangi Town, Karachi, where an 18-year-old girl was allegedly killed by members of her family after marrying a man of her choice.

While speaking to Dialogue Pakistan,her husband told that they both had known each other for five years, and he had approached her family twice with a marriage proposal, but they refused.

He said they later opted for a court marriage after her family allegedly tried to arrange her marriage elsewhere against her wishes.

The husband said that after the court marriage, both families reached a settlement and Rs25 lakh was paid as part of the agreement.

He claimed that on September 20, the girl’s uncle Idrees came to them and asked to take Zarqa with them, promising on the Quran that she would not be harmed and that her formal rukhsati would take place the following Sunday.

Trusting the assurance, the husband said they will drop Zarqa themselves.

According to the husband, he learned around 1:30 to 2am that the girl had allegedly been killed. He further claimed that she was buried without a funeral or shroud. He alleged that the girl’s brother Safeer, uncle Idrees and a distant relative Jameel were involved in the incident, adding that Jameel had allegedly killed his own daughter around a year ago.

The husband expressed grief over the loss, saying that his hopes and plans for the future had been shattered.

He also claimed that he feared for his own safety from the girl’s family and appealed to the Inspector General of Sindh and other authorities to provide him protection and arrest those allegedly responsible for the girl’s death.