BASHAM: A Basham sessions court on Thursday convicted three in 2014 Kohistan honour killings case and awarded them life term in the case, acquitting five other suspects.
Omar Khan, Sabeer and Saheer were all relatives of five women who are believed to have been killed after they were filmed singing and clapping at a wedding eight years ago.
A video emerged in 2011 which appeared to show the women – Bazeegha, Sereen Jan, Begum Jan and Amina – at a wedding, singing and clapping. A fifth woman – Shaheen, who was under 18 – is also thought to have been present.
After the video was leaked, a local jirga decreed the participants of violating tribal customs and sentenced them to death. Five women were killed by the male members of their tribe. A year later, the three brothers, seen in the video, were also shot dead.
Afzal Kohistani, who was killed last year, raised the issue and brought the so-called honor killings to the media’s attention in 2012. He had repeatedly raised concerns about his life being in danger.
For years thereafter, he campaigned for justice, until the Supreme Court took a suo moto notice of the killings in 2016.
Eight men were arrested in connection to the crime.
After Thursday’s verdict, Kohistani’s brother, Bin Yasir said that he is satisfied with the court’s order. “It took so long, but finally we have some kind of justice,” he said.
Yasir has been single-handily pursuing the case since Kohistani was murdered last year.
“At least 40 people were involved in the killing of my brothers and the women,” he said, adding: “I am upset that five people have been acquitted. More people should have been convicted, including the jirga elder who passed the order to kill the women.”
Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had taken a suo motu notice of the case on June 7, 2012, and constituted a fact-finding mission on July 17, 2012, to investigate the case.
The commission went to Kohistan and investigated the matter, producing a report on July 20, 2017, which stated that the girls were alive. The case was closed when the court established the girls were alive.
However, one of the commission members, Dr Farzana Bari expressed her doubts that the girls weren’t the same and some other girls were produced clad in burqa and veil.
