RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – In a shocking case of honour killing, the grave of Sidra, a woman allegedly murdered by her family, was exhumed on judicial orders at the Chhati Graveyard in Pirwadhai.
The exhumation was supervised by Judicial Magistrate Qamar Abbas Tarrar following suspicions over the cause and circumstances of death.
According to the preliminary post-mortem report, Sidra was subjected to severe torture before her death. Her neck bones were found fractured, and signs indicated that she had been strangled. The examination also revealed that her tongue was protruding – an indication consistent with death by suffocation.
The body, buried hastily on the morning of 17 July during heavy rain, was found decomposed due to wet soil conditions. It was reportedly buried in secrecy by members of a local jirga, who erased any trace of the grave to destroy evidence.
Medical examination
A medical team led by Dr Misbah-ur-Rehman from Holy Family Hospital conducted the post-mortem. Forensic samples were sent to a laboratory in Lahore for final verification of the cause of death. The body was reburied after the completion of the medical procedures.
Tight security was enforced during the exhumation process. Elite Force personnel were stationed at the graveyard, with tents and barriers set up around the site. Two suspects, gravedigger Rashid and cemetery committee secretary Saif-ur-Rehman, were brought to the site for identification purposes.
Suspects in custody
Police confirmed the arrest of nine suspects in total. These include Sidra’s father Arab Gul, her brother Zafar Gul, her former husband Zia-ur-Rehman, her uncle, father-in-law, and the jirga head Ismatullah, who allegedly ordered the killing.
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Six of the suspects were presented in court under tight security and were granted a four-day physical remand. Three more suspects – gravedigger Rashid Mahmood, committee secretary Saif-ur-Rehman, and rickshaw driver Khayal Muhammad – are also under remand.
According to the investigation officer, the suspects have confessed to the crime. Police are now conducting raids to recover key evidence, including the pillow allegedly used in the murder. The court has directed that the suspects be produced again on 1 August.