Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information in the case of honour killing of Tahira Khoso by her husband in presence of her father and brother who were trying to stop him from torturing her. Umrani was later found murdered in Balochistan province. The Jacobabad police under the pressure from the influential people, particularly from the ruling party of the province, implicated Tahira’s four brothers, a cousin and one uncle in the murder of her husband.
The malicious murder case was only registered to adversely affect Tahira Khoso honor killing case and to further the sufferings of the bereaved family. The Khoso family is made to suffer because they dared to negate the jirga, an illegal and parallel judicial system of the tribal leaders, and filed an FIR for the murder of their daughter.
UPDATED INFORMATION:
Ms. Tahira Bano Khoso (21), was a resident of Shah Ghazi Mohalla, Jacobabad, Sindh, and married to Mr. Waqar Umrani, resident of Dangar Mohalla, Jacobabad. Waqar is a landlord and is a member of the ruling party of Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and he married Tahira on 30 March 2014. Since the wedding, Waqar Umrani had been pressuring his wife in order to obtain money from her parents, who are also landowners in Sindh. On the day of incident, March 19, 2015, her husband Mr Umrani, along with three other male members of his family, was brutally torturing her. His maid informed the mother of the victim about her illegal detention of three days without water and meals and beating. The father and his brother reached the scene and Umrani shot her before her father and brother. The perpetrators fled from the scene and took shelter in Balochistan province where their relatives were living. She died when she was on way to hospital and succumbed to her wounds.
Police could not arrest the suspects and his associates who, according to the petitioner family, were being protected by some influential figures belonging to the ruling party of the province, Pakistan People’s Party. On 3 April 2015, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) has also transferred the murder case of Tahira Khoso to Shaikarpur District, another district, which is 25 kilometers from the site of the murder.
The DIGP is also pressuring family members of the young woman to settle the matter outside court and withdraw the case of intentional murder.
Waqar Ali Umrani, the prime suspect in the infamous Tahira Khoso honor killing case was found shot dead on 13th August 2015, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Babakot District Naseerabad Baluchistan province which is miles away from the Jacobabad, Sindh province. The family of the deceased perpetrator has implicated the family members of victim including her three brothers, uncle and cousin in the murder. An FIR No.20-2015 Police Station Babakot District Naseerabad Baluchistan was filed. The malicious FIR was only registered to adversely affect Tahira Khoso honor killing case and to further the sufferings of the bereaved family who have lost their daughter due to severe torture meted out to her by Umrani and his family.
The FIR is registered against her brothers, Mr. Khalid Mehmood Khoso, Mr. Arshad Mehmood Khoso , Mr. Javed Mehmood Khoso, her cousin Dr.Shahid Ali Khoso and uncle Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Khoso. All of these men on the day of incident were 300 kilometers away from the place of murder.
During the August 5 hearing of the case taken up under a suo motu notice, the SC bench headed by Justice Nasir Ul Mulk had issued a final show-cause notice to Jacobabad SSP Malik Zafar Iqbal Awan asking him to arrest and produce Mr Umrani on Sept 16. However, the suspect was killed in an apparently revengeful act. According to media reports his body bore visible torture marks and a gunshot wound in the neck. Baba Kot police said that some villagers spotted Mr Umrani lying in a pool of blood in the front seat of his car at about 3am near Sardar Fateh Ali Khan Umrani village, located in Tamboo taluka of Naseerabad district of Balochistan.
According to Khoso family the main motivation behind accusing above mentioned people is to bully the applicant and eye witness of Tahira Khoso murder case therefore they are booking them in mala fide cases to force them to submit before the jirga where they fears the Umrani family will have an upper hand.
The family of Waqar Umrani is pushing Tahira Khoso family to settle matter through jirga where immunity will be provided to other accused nominated in FIR and huge penalty will be imposed on Tahira Khoso family for going against tribal rituals and family of Waqar Umrani along with the sardar, who is conducting jirga, will be compensated with money.
Khalid Mehmood Khoso, the brother of Tahira Khoso states that “For us the right and only option was when Mr.Waqar Umrani could have been arrested alive and punished through legal courts of Pakistan as the example should have been formed at remotest part of Pakistan where no man on the basis of tribal rituals, religion, gender bias, social status, caste, color and creed can dare to consider himself immunized & unquestionable. It is due to complacent and unprofessional attitude of law enforcement agencies that the absconder from law killed mysteriously and debris are unfortunately falling on my family.”
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities listed below calling them to immediately withdraw the murder cases against the brothers and uncle of deceased Tahira Khoso and prosecute police officers of the Jacobabad district for implicating the brothers of the victims and diverting the case of honour killing which is according to the law is a simply murder case under section of 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Please also urge them to provide protection of life, property and honor to the Khoso family who is going through a dire situation. The authorities must also conduct a free, fair & transparent investigation of murder of Waqar Umrani, the perpetrator by competent, honest and professional police personnel of repute from any part of Pakistan.
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SAMPLE LETTER
Dear__________,
PAKISTAN: Police implicate the brothers of Tahira Khoso in murder case to adversely affect the case of honour killing
Names of victims:
1. Dr. Arshad Mehmood Khoso, eldest brother of Tahira Khoso, resident of Hyderabad Sindh
2. Javed Mehmood Khoso:, Brother of Tahira Khoso, resident of Hyderabad Sindh
3. Dr.Shahid Ali Khoso, cousin of Tahira Khoso, resident of Hyderabad Sindh
4. Muhammad Iqbal Khoso, uncle of Tahira Khoso, resident of Hyderabad Sindh
Name of alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Freed alias Comrade Umrani, resident of Dangar Mohalla, Jacobabad, Sindh Province
2. Mr. Saeen Rakhio Meerani, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Larkana, Sindh Province
3. Mr. Abdul Qadoos Kalwar, Investigation Officer, Shikarpur
4. Station House Officer (SHO), Police Station Babakot District Naseerabad Baluchistan province
5. District police Officer (DPO) district Jacobabad, Sindh
Date of incident: 13 August, 2015
Place of incident: Sardar Fateh Ali Khan Umrani village, located in Tamboo taluka of Naseerabad district of Balochistan.
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the updated information in the case of honour killing of Tahira Khoso by her husband in presence of her father and brother who were trying to stop him from torturing her. Umrani was later found murdered in Balochistan province. The Jacobabad police under the pressure from the influential people, particularly from the ruling party of the province, implicated Tahira’s four brothers and one uncle in the murder of her husband.
The malicious murder case was only registered to adversely affect Tahira Khoso honor killing case and to further the sufferings of the bereaved family. The Khoso family is made to suffer because they dared to negate the jirga, an illegal and parallel judicial system of the tribal leaders, and filed an FIR for the murder of their daughter.
According the information I have received Ms. Tahira Bano Khoso (21), was a resident of Shah Ghazi Mohalla, Jacobabad, Sindh, and married to Mr. Waqar Umrani, resident of Dangar Mohalla, Jacobabad. Waqar is a landlord and is a member of the ruling party of Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and he married Tahira on 30 March 2014. Since the wedding, Waqar Umrani had been pressuring his wife in order to obtain money from her parents, who are also landowners in Sindh. On the day of incident, March 19, 2015, her husband Mr Umrani, along with three other male members of his family, was brutally torturing her. His maid informed the mother of the victim about her illegal detention of three days without water and meals and beating. The father and his brother reached the scene and Umrani shot her before her father and brother. The perpetrators fled from the scene and took shelter in Balochistan province where their relatives were living. She died when she was on way to hospital and succumbed to her wounds.
I am appalled to know that the Police could not arrest the suspects and his associates who, according to the petitioner family, were being protected by some influential figures belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party. On 3 April 2015, the DIGP has also transferred the murder case to Shaikarpur District, another district, which is 25 kilometers from the site of the murder. The DIGP is also pressuring family members of the young women to settle the matter outside court and withdraw the case of intentional murder.
The DIGP is also pressuring family members of the young woman to settle the matter outside court and withdraw the case of intentional murder.
Waqar Ali Umrani, the prime suspect in the infamous Tahira Khoso honor killing case was found shot dead on 13th August 2015, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Babakot District Naseerabad Baluchistan province which is miles away from the Jacobabad, Sindh province. The family of the deceased perpetrator, has implicated the family members of victim including her three brothers, uncle and cousin in the murder. An FIR No.20-2015 Police Station Babakot District Naseerabad Baluchistan was filed. The malicious FIR was only registered to adversely affect Tahira Khoso honor killing case and to further the sufferings of the bereaved family who have lost their daughter due to severe torture meted out to her by Umrani and his family.
The FIR is registered against her brothers, Mr. Khalid Mehmood Khoso, Mr. Arshad Mehmood Khoso , Mr. Javed Mehmood Khoso, her cousin Dr.Shahid Ali Khoso and uncle Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Khoso. All of these men on the day of incident were 300 kilometers away from the place of murder.
During the August 5 hearing of the case taken up under a suo motu notice, the SC bench headed by Justice Nasir Ul Mulk had issued a final show-cause notice to Jacobabad SSP Malik Zafar Iqbal Awan asking him to arrest and produce Mr Umrani on Sept 16. However, the suspect was killed in an apparently revengeful act. According to media reports his body bore visible torture marks and a gunshot wound in the neck. Baba Kot police said that some villagers spotted Mr Umrani lying in a pool of blood in the front seat of his car at about 3am near Sardar Fateh Ali Khan Umrani village, located in Tamboo taluka of Naseerabad district of Balochistan.
It is shocking for me that the main motivation behind accusing above mentioned people is to bully the applicant and eye witness of Tahira Khoso murder case therefore the perpetrators are booking her brothers and uncle in mala fide cases to force them to submit before the jirga where they fears the Umrani family will have an upper hand.
The family of Waqar Umrani is pushing Tahira Khoso family to settle matter through jirga where immunity will be provided to other accused nominated in FIR and huge penalty will be imposed on Tahira Khoso family for going against tribal rituals and family of Waqar Umrani along with the sardar, who is conducting jirga, will be compensated with money.
Khalid Mehmood Khoso, the brother of Tahira Khoso states that “For us the right and only option was when Mr.Waqar Umrani could have been arrested alive and punished through legal courts of Pakistan as the example should have been formed at remotest part of Pakistan where no man on the basis of tribal rituals, religion, gender bias, social status, caste, color and creed can dare to consider himself immunized & unquestionable. It is due to complacent and unprofessional attitude of law enforcement agencies that the absconder from law killed mysteriously and debris are unfortunately falling on my family.”
I therefore urge upon you to ask the authorities to immediately withdraw the murder cases against the brothers and uncle of deceased Tahira Khoso and prosecute police officers of the Jacobabad district for implicating the brothers of the victims and diverting the case of honour killing which is according to the law is a simply murder case under section of 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Please also urge them to provide protection of life, property and honor to the Khoso family who is going through a dire situation. The authorities must also conduct a free, fair & transparent investigation of murder of Waqar Umrani, the perpetrator by competent, honest and professional police personnel of repute from any part of Pakistan.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
——————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister of Sindh
The Government of Sindh Province
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
Email: pressecy@cmsindh.gov.pk
2. Mr. Sohail Anwar Khan Siyal
Minister for Home
Government of Sindh
Barrack 79, Pakistan Secretariat
Near MPA hostel
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9204456
Tel: +92 21 9201920-1
E-mail: secy.home@sindh.gov.pk
3. Mr. Tahir Shahbaz
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9213452
Email: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
4. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
E-mail: info@sindhhighcourt.gov.pk
5. Justice (Rtd) MajidaRazvi
Chairperson, Human Rights Development
Government of Sindh
Barrack number 92 Sindh Secretariat
4. B, opposite to Sindh Assembly Building
Karachi
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 99207042-43
Fax: +92 21 99207044
E-mail: ministerhrd@sindh.gov.pk
6. Mr. Muhammad Amlish
Inspector General of Police, Balochistan
Police Head Quarters, Qetta, Balochistan
Phone Number: 92-81-9201366
FAX number: 92-81-9201267
blncpo@yahoo.com
7. Mr. Ghulam Haider Jamali
Inspector General of Police, Sindh province
Police Head quarter I.I Chundigar road
Karachi-PAKISTAN
Fax-+92-21-99212051
complaints@pprasindh.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
