Disturbing details have emerged regarding the alleged honor killing of a 19-year-old newlywed girl in Rawalpindi, following a decision by a local “jirga.” A First Information Report (FIR) claims the victim left her home with gold jewelry and cash.
The identity of the victim has not been officially released. She was married to Zia-ur-Rehman, a resident of Fauji Colony in Pirwadhai, who works at a cloth shop in Bara Market. The couple had wed in January 2025.
The FIR, registered by the husband on July 21, initially claimed his wife had been abducted. It stated that she had left home at 1:20 AM on July 11, taking 10 tolas of gold jewelry, Rs150,000 in cash, and her clothes, without informing anyone.
According to reports, on July 17, the deceased was brought to a location by several individuals, including one identified as Asmat. Police have apprehended close relatives of the victim, including the gravedigger and the secretary of the graveyard committee, in connection with the incident. However, a court has ordered the exhumation of the body for further investigation.
Sources indicate that on the night of July 16, the girl was allegedly murdered in the name of honor, and her body was quietly buried on July 17. Local residents reportedly informed the Pirwadhai Police Station about the suspicious burial on the same day, but no immediate action was taken.
A jirga was convened under a chairman, comprising 35 to 40 men and women of the Mohmand tribe. The jirga allegedly concluded that the woman had “brought disgrace to the tribe by running away from home,” and therefore, “she must be killed.” To execute this verdict, she was reportedly locked in a room before being murdered in the courtyard in the presence of community members. Her body was then handed over to the women of the family for bathing and shrouding prior to burial. According to sources close to the investigation, the victim’s body was secretly buried in the dark of night, and her grave was deliberately erased.
Rising Concern: Incidents of Honor-Related Violence Across Pakistan
This unfortunate incident comes just days after a harrowing event came to light in Balochistan, where videos circulating on social media showed a man and a woman being shot dead. The murder, which occurred approximately six weeks ago, involved Bano Bibi and a man named Ehsanullah, both of whom were shot dead in the Degari area near Quetta in what police described as an honor-related incident.
The video depicts the woman being ordered to stand facing away from the group before a man pulls out a gun and shoots her in the back. He then turns the weapon on the man and shoots him dead. Post-mortem examinations revealed that the woman was shot seven times and the man nine times. The autopsies were carried out at the Dagari coal mine graveyard.
Reacting to the Rawalpindi incident, human rights activist Tahira Abdullah strongly condemned the alleged murder, emphasizing that there is no honor in killing women and girls. Abdullah stated, “Despite legislation enacted in 2010 and 2016, the ever-increasing impunity, quantum and severity of brutal violent dishonor killings, as well as the negligible conviction rate, requires urgent State action, especially through Parliamentary Standing Committees; as well as widespread public discussion on mainstream media.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has also condemned the incident, expressing deep concern over the alarming trend of violence that continues to plague women and girls in various regions of the country. “These are not isolated events but symptoms of a broader, systemic issue rooted in harmful social norms and deeply ingrained gender inequality,” read the statement issued by the UNFPA. “That these heinous acts were carried out by family members underscores the urgent need to address violence within the very spaces that should offer safety—the home.”
