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Death of Samia Shahid

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Native name
  
سامعہ شاہد کا قتل

Location
  
Date
  
June 20, 2016; 8 months ago (2016-06-20)

Also known as
  
Samia Shahid murder case

Cause
  
asphyxiation by strangulation

On 20 July 2016, Samia Shahid, a British woman, was found dead in Punjab, Pakistan. Her former husband and her father have been charged with her murder, and Shahid's former husband is also charged with raping her prior to her death.

Contents

Personal background

Samia Shahid (aged 28) was a beautician from Bradford, England. Shahid's family arranged her marriage to a man named Shakeel in February 2012 in Jhelum, Pakistan. She later divorced Shakeel in the United Kingdom. In 2014, Samia married Mukhtar Kazim and moved to Dubai to live with him.

Death

In July 2016, Samia Shahid received a telephone call, claiming that father was critically ill in Pakistan. In order to visit her father, Shahid flew to Islamabad airport against the advice of her husband, Mukhtar Kazim, who believed that the call was a lie because Shahid's family "felt a furious sense of shame towards their daughter" for divorcing her first husband, Shakeel. On the day before Shahid was due to fly back, Kazim stated that the "constant stream of instant messages" Shahid had been sending unexpectedly ceased. Shahid was found dead in her cousin's home in Punjab, Pakistan on 20 July 2016, six days after landing in Pakistan.

There are conflicting reports on the cause of Shahid's death. According to Kazim, Shahid's cousin Mobeen told him over telephone that Shahid had died of a heart attack. However, local press agencies reported that Shahid had committed suicide as a result of depression over not having children, a report which Shahid's family denies. After receiving the news of his wife's death, Mukhtar Kazim alleged that Shahid was murdered by her family because they rejected their marriage. On the basis of his complaint, Samia's father, Muhammad Shahid, and Shakeel were arrested by Jhelum police and sent to jail on remand. On 14 August 2016, police stated that Shakeel confessed to strangling Shahid.

Police report

Abubakar Buksh, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, stated: "We have completed our investigation and concluded that her ex-husband Muhammad Shakeel and father Muhammad Shahid were involved in her killing." Buksh also stated that Shakeel had been charged with raping Shahid. According to the report, a day before reaching Islamabad, Samia sent a text message to her friend saying that she was in fear for her life.

The police report concluded that after arriving in Punjab her first husband Shakeel was told to watch Samia by her father. When Samia refused to tell Shakeel about her passport and plane ticket, he threw her on the bed and raped her. Samia then managed to run out of the room and told Shahid that she would go to the British High Commission. Her father Mohammed Shahid was standing on the stairs where she told her that she was leaving. Shahid then gave Shakeel an indication and he strangled 28 years old Samia with her scarf while Shahid held her legs. It was also revealed that Shakeel was disappointed because Samia divorced her and his chances of moving to the United Kingdom and becoming a British citizen were finished. The police also said that Shahid could have pardoned his nephew if he had been charged with Samia's murder under The Diyya law of Pakistan.

Pre-trial court proceedings

In September 2016, Muhammad Shahid submitted an application in the court for getting bail. The application of bail was rejected for Shahid however the bail was granted to SHO Aqeel Abbas on 10 September 2016. The lawyer of Muhammad Shahid, Mian Muhammad Arif said that he will take the appeal to a higher court in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Samia's Father release

Samia's father was released on bail due to insufficient evidences.

References

Death of Samia Shahid Wikipedia


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