Outlawing and in-laws: 2 sisters killed ‘for not conceiving’

“Both women’s throats had been cut and their bodies bore multiple stab wounds,” said Allied Hospital Dr Mubarak Shah.

FAISALABAD: 

Two sisters were allegedly murdered by their in-laws over a domestic dispute in the Pir Mehal police station precincts on Saturday.

According to police officials, Khursheed Bibi, 25, and her sister Asma, 24, were married to Chak No 700/42 residents Sajid and his brother Muhammad Saeed one and half year ago. Neighbours told police officials that the in-laws of both girls began torturing them after they both failed to conceive for over a year.

“They threatened to send them both back to their parents and even threatened their lives,” said a neighbour Rehan Alvi. Alvi told police officials, that the couples had been married according to the consent of village elders and that both families were poor.

Saeed is a motorcycle mechanic based in Rawalpindi, while Sajid is a salesman in a local bakery in Rawalpindi. The brother of the deceased girls, Muhammad Javaid told police that his sisters had been murdered by their in-laws because neither of them had conceived a child. “They were living in a joint family system and both their husbands were often in Rawalpindi and only visited once a month,” he said.

According to police officials, Khurshid Bibi and Asma Bibi’s bodies were found in a mutilated state on Saturday evening. “Both women’s throats had been cut and their bodies bore multiple stab wounds,” said Allied Hospital Dr Mubarak Shah.

Locals in the village complained, saying that they had informed the police of the incident but that the police team arrived late. “It took them 4 hours to arrive at the scene and by then two of the accused had already fled,” said a neighbour.

Police officials have registered a case against Muhammad Siddique, father in-law of the deceased, his sons Muhammad Qasim, Muhammad Usman and daughter in-law Yasmeen under Sections 302, 148/149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and started an investigation.

SHO Pir Mehal Ilyas Sahi told The Express Tribune that all the accused nominated in the FIR were arrested on Sunday. “We have also recovered blood samples from the scene and have found the murder weapons,” he said. Sahi said that the police were still waiting on an autopsy report to confirm the charges.“The accused will be presented before the court for physical remand on Saturday,” he said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2011.