Family members comfort Hassan Khan, the husband of Zeenat Rafiq who was burnt alive, allegedly by her mother, at his home in Lahore. (Photo: AP)
Family members comfort Hassan Khan, the husband of Zeenat Rafiq who was burnt alive, allegedly by her mother, at his home in Lahore. (Photo: AP)
A girl who married the man of her choice was burnt to death allegedly by her mother in Factory Area of Lahore City on Wednesday. Zeenat, 17, had married Hassan a week ago after leaving her house, the police said.
Recently, Zeenat’s mother Parveen contacted her and told her that she had forgiven her. Parveen took her daughter back home, assuring that she wants to arrange a proper marriage function for her.
Early morning, both reportedly had an argument after which Parveen allegedly doused Zeenat in petrol and set her on fire. The victim succumbed to burn injuries at hospital. The police has taken the mother into custody and the girl’s body has been shifted to a mortuary for autopsy.
“We have arrested the mother of Zeenat and are looking for her brother for allegedly setting her on fire, killing her on the spot,” Lahore police spokesman Nayyab Haider said.
He said Zeenat’s mother Parveen told the police in custody that her daughter had committed an “unforgivable” crime by marrying a man after eloping with him.
“Although Pareveen confessed to her crime, she denied the involvement of her son in killing Zeenat,” Mr Haider said. Zeenat reportedly fell in love with Hasan, who lived in her locality, and asked her parents to accept his marriage proposal.
However, her parents refused following which Zeenat eloped with Hasan and married him in court.
Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken strict notice of the incident and directed Lahore police chief Amin Wains to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Last week, the police arrested five men, including a suitor, for torching a 19-year-old school teacher in Murree, some 35 km from Islamabad, for refusing to marry him.
Similarly, last month, the police arrested 13 members of a local tribal council, including the parents of a teenage girl, for strangling her and later torching her body in Abbottabad for marrying a man of her choice. According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, around 800 women were killed last year in Punjab in “honour killings”.
The Punjab government has introduced more strict legislation for protection of women.
