Baskadia

A local court in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's erstwhile tribal district of Khyber has sentenced accused Zaur Shah to death and fined one million rupees for honor killing of two people including his wife during November.

It was the first time that an accused was convicted in a case of honor violence in a district annexed to the province.

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Forty-year-old Zaur Shah belongs to Tirah valley of Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was accused of shooting and killing his wife and twenty-year-old cousin Muhammadullah on November 14, 2020.

No one registered a case after the incident, however, Tirah Police Assistant Sub-Inspector Iran Gul registered two counts of murder and rioting against Zaur Shah.

Iran Gul told the BBC that during morning patrols, they received information from sources that two bodies were found in an area of ​​Tirah.

He said that on reaching the spot, he saw that the body of the woman was inside the house while the body of the young boy was lying outside the house. He was shot dead.

According to the police official, "During the initial investigation, it was found that the woman's husband, Zaur Shah, killed both of them in the name of honor."

"However, no one came forward to file a case, due to which the police registered a case of double murder against them and arrested them."

This court decision is also significant because it is generally believed that police intervention in cases of honor violence against women is considered against the traditions of tribal jirga.

In this report, the BBC has tried to find out how serious a problem honor killings and other crimes are in the former tribal districts and what laws exist to protect women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.