Husband claims British wife killed by family in Pakistan for "honor"

JEHLUM (Web Desk) - Police is investigating the case of a British-born woman of Pakistani origin, who was allegedly killed for honor in the country on Wednesday while visiting relatives, according to the claims of her husband.

Samia Shahid was a beauty therapist from Bradford, who was killed while visiting relatives in Pandori village near Mangla Dam in northern Punjab, according to the Foreign Office.

The husband of the deceased woman Kazam has now claimed that she was killed in the name of honor because she had married someone who was seen as an outsider.

Kazam, who is a Pakistani national, maintained that his wife visited Pakistan to inquire after a relative who was seriously ill and added that his wife was supposed to return to their home in Dubai on Thursday. Instead, he received a call a day earlier that she had died of a heart attack.

According to Kazam, Shahid’s family never accepted their marriage. She had left her first husband shortly before tieing the knot with Kazam.

“I am sure my wife was killed by the family,” Kazam said. “She was healthy. And she had no disease. I believe she was killed because her parents were not happy with our marriage.”

On the other hand, Samia’s cousin in Bradford said that her relative had died of natural causes and there was no evidence of murder.

Moreover, Samia’s father, Mohammed Shahid, also denied Kazam’s claims as “lies and allegations”. He also asserted that he is ready to face punishment if found guilty.

“My daughter was living a very peaceful and happy life. She had come to Pakistan on her own and was not under any pressure from her family," he added.

Station House Officer (SHO) Jhelum Mohammad Aqeel Abbas, who is investigating the case, said that samples from Shahid’s body had been sent to a forensics lab in Lahore. He added that an autopsy carried out immediately after Samia’s death revealed no “visible injuries or signs of violence on her body”.

Meanwhile, British MP Naz Shah has written to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to intervene in the case.

“Should this be [an honour killing] case then we must ensure justice is done for Samia and we must ensure this never happens again,” MP Naz Shah wrote to the PM in her letter.