New details have emerged in the alleged honour killing of a 19-year-old newlywed woman in Rawalpindi, reportedly carried out under a jirga decision. The first information report (FIR) claims the victim left her home with cash and jewellery, before being abducted and murdered in what appears to be a premeditated act of violence involving several members of her community.
According to the reports, the girl was married to Zia-ur-Rehman, a resident of Fauji Colony in Pirwadhai who worked at a cloth shop in Bara Market. The couple tied the knot in January 2025. The husband filed an FIR on July 21, claiming his wife had gone missing. He reported that she left their home around 1:20am on July 11, taking with her approximately 10 tollas of gold, Rs150,000 in cash, and a bag of clothes, without informing anyone.
Sources close to the investigation allege that the girl was murdered in the name of “honour” during the night of July 16. Her body was then buried in secret the next day, July 17. The FIR further states that the woman was brought back by a group of people including an individual identified as Asmat.
The police have taken several people into custody, including some of her close relatives, the gravedigger, and the secretary of the graveyard committee. A local court has ordered that the body be exhumed for forensic examination.
Community members had reportedly informed Pirwadhai Police on the night of the burial, suspecting foul play. However, no immediate action was taken. It was later revealed that a jirga, headed by a chairman and comprising around 35 to 40 members of the Mohmand tribe, declared that the girl had “dishonoured” the tribe by leaving home. The jirga allegedly decided she must be killed as a result.
According to sources, the victim was locked inside a room before being brought to a courtyard and executed in front of gathered members of the community. After her murder, female relatives performed the funeral rituals and buried her body. Her grave was reportedly flattened to erase any trace of the burial.
This incident follows another gruesome honour killing that took place six weeks ago in Balochistan’s Degari area, near Quetta. In that case, a woman named Bano Bibi and a man named Ehsanullah were seen being executed in a viral video. The footage showed the woman being forced to turn her back before being shot, followed by the man’s killing. Post-mortem reports revealed the woman was shot seven times and the man nine times.
Human rights activist Tahira Abdullah strongly condemned the Rawalpindi incident, reiterating that there is no honour in such killings. She emphasized the urgent need for the state to take meaningful action.
“Despite the legislation passed in 2010 and 2016, the growing impunity and brutality of so-called honour killings, along with the dismal conviction rate, calls for immediate intervention by Parliamentary Standing Committees and sustained coverage by mainstream media,” Abdullah said.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also issued a statement condemning the murder and expressing grave concern about the persistent violence against women and girls in Pakistan.
“These are not isolated incidents,” the UNFPA said. “They reflect deep-rooted systemic problems driven by harmful cultural norms and gender inequality. The fact that such heinous acts are often committed by family members highlights the danger within homes, spaces that should offer safety.”
Authorities continue their investigation into the Rawalpindi case as rights organizations call for an end to impunity and the enforcement of existing laws against honour-based violence.
