Zulfiqar Ahmad
ISLAMABAD, July 2, 2026: The brutal and cold-blooded killing of a woman in the Jinlasht area of Brep village has triggered severe outrage and heightened tensions, with local communities issuing open warnings that they will escalate pressure unless the killer is arrested without delay.
However, the Upper Chitral police said they have arrested the suspect who was hiding in his home in the same locality of the victims.
The victim, wife of Bulbul Azam, was shot dead on Wednesday night while returning home after offering prayers at a Jamat Khana.
Woman Dies, Husband Injured in Firing
She was accompanied by her husband and father-in-law, Afzal, when an armed assailant – reportedly lying in wait in nearby bushes – opened fire in what appears to have been a planned ambush.
Police first registered an FIR against unknown person but later the injured husband of the woman nominated Zaman Ali Baig, son of Roziman Baig of Brep after which he was nominated in the case.
According to police investigation and statement of the arrested suspect, his wife had taken Khula and Bulbul Azam and his wife had played a role in it.
According to statements provided to ChitralToday, the victim’s brother-in-law, Fazlan, said the alleged attacker was identified as Zaman by the victim’s injured husband, Bulbul Azam, after the incident. “My brother told my cousin, who reached the scene shortly after the incident, and identified the assailant as Zaman,” he added.
He further stated that the woman was struck while attempting to shield her husband, absorbing the fatal gunfire and dying on the spot.
“When the suspect opened fire on my brother, my sister-in-law tried to shield her husband [my brother], which resulted in her death, while my brother was severely injured,” he added.
He also claimed that the postmortem report indicated the victim had sustained approximately 159 pellets from a shotgun blast, underscoring the ferocity of the attack.
Police, according to him, recovered two shotgun cartridges and a half packet of cigarettes from the scene, which are believed to be linked to the assailant.
The killing has since ignited a volatile reaction across local clans. At the victim’s funeral, speakers issued blunt and uncompromising demands for justice, declaring in a unified voice that accountability must follow swiftly.
Shakir Ali Khan, a representative of the Zondre clan – of which the deceased woman and her injured husband were members – issued a clear ultimatum to law enforcement, warning that authorities have 48 hours to arrest the suspect or “face the wrath of the people”, signalling a potentially dangerous escalation in public sentiment.
In an even more provocative statement, a representative of the Raza clan of the deceased woman threatened drastic collective action, including the exhumation of the victim’s body and sit-in protests if the alleged killer is not apprehended.
Meanwhile, Rehmat Azam of the Lawei clan – whose clan has been indirectly implicated in community speculation – publicly distanced the clan from the crime, stating full support for the bereaved family and demanding capital punishment for whoever is responsible.
Retired missionary Shaukat Ali, speaking at the gathering, urged unity and insisted that the case must be pursued “no matter whose son is involved”, emphasising that social status must not obstruct justice.
Local residents note that this is the third violent incident reported in Brep village in recent years, reflecting a troubling pattern of unresolved or internally driven conflicts.
Past cases include a cousin killing over a rejected marriage proposal in Nasokoch village, and another domestic homicide in the Guzhdur area that was later uncovered by police after months of investigation.