Protest against Chitrali girl’s ‘murder’ in Peshawar

CHITRAL:  A public protest was held in Brun village of Bumburate today (Wednesday) against the alleged murder of a girl from the area in Peshawar.

The protest call was given by Bumburate village council chairmen Khalilur Rehman.

The locals said the girl from Bumburate had married a man belonging to Peshawar in 2016 and was allegedly murdered by her husband.  But her husband claimed that she committed suicide by shooting herself.

The protesters demanded that the authorities concerned should order an inquiry to ascertain the facts and punish the culprits for murdering the Chitrali girl.

They said it was time people of Chitral raised voice against such incidents for protecting Chitrali girls and women from falling prey to cruelties.

Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, Ghulam Muhammad, son of Sher Nawaz Khan, in an application to a family court Peshawar alleged that Saifullah, the husband of his daughter, had killed her.

He said after her marriage six years ago, her daughter had returned to her parents’ home in Kalash valley due to strained relations with her husband but every time he sent her back after making a patch-up between the couple. He said on the day of the incident, he was informed on phone that his daughter had committed suicide. He alleged that his daughter has been murdered by her husband.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) available with ChitralToday, the Rehman Baba police station received a report from Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar on August 29 that an injured Reena Bibi, age 20/22 years, was brought to the hospital unconsciousness with a bullet injured to the right side of her stomach.

The husband of the injured, Saifullah Khan, 36, son of Afzal Khan of Tango Ada Hazakhani, told the hospital staff that Reena shot herself with a pistol after quarreling with him and his children.

The man claimed that he and his other family members were witness to Reena shooting herself with a pistol. The injured Chitrali girl later passed away.

The police registered a case and stated that an investigation would be carried out to reach the facts.

Chitrali women married off to men outside of Chitral have suffered domestic violence or even death at the hands of their husbands or in-laws.

Despite efforts by the local people and civil society organizations people often marry off their daughters, often in young age, to unknown people from urban areas.