POLICE in Pakistan are searching for two men after the killing of a British woman, reportedly after the men had each pressured her to marry them.
Mahira Zulfiquar, a 25-year-old law graduate who moved to Pakistan two months ago, was found dead in her rented flat after four men including the two chief suspects were believed to have broken in early on Monday.
Ms Zulfiquar, from London, holds British-Belgian dual nationality and her family is of Pakistani origin. She had travelled to Pakistan two months ago for a wedding and had decided to stay; her parents are due to arrive in Lahore later this week.
Punjab Police superintendent Sidra Khan, citing an initial post-mortem report, said Ms Zulfiquar had two bullet wounds – one to her neck and another to her arm – and had bled to death. Bruises were found on her right hand and left foot.
Police said they have opened a first information report (FIR) on the case after receiving a complaint from Ms Zulfiquar’s uncle, Lahore resident Mohammad Nazeer.
The FIR said Mr Nazeer found his niece’s body after receiving a phone call from her father in London to say she had been killed.
Mr Nazeer also said Ms Zulfiquar had told him she had become embroiled in a dispute with two male friends after she had refused their marriage proposals, and that they had threatened her with “dire consequences”.
Sayyed Ali, an operations superintendent at Punjab Police, said an unidentified caller had alerted the force about the murder and that forensic experts visited and cordoned off the scene.
“We are also after two suspects and will share further details at a later stage,” Mr Sayyed said, adding Ms Zulfiquar had been found lying in a pool of blood in her room with her mobile phone near her body.
“We have seized the mobile phone for forensic analysis.”
Mr Sayyed said police were also analysing footage from nearby CCTV cameras in the hope of finding suspects.
The death of Ms Zulfiquar comes almost five years on from the death of Bradford woman Samia Shahid in an alleged "honour killing", which also occurred in the Punjab region of Pakistan.
The 28-year-old's ex-husband and cousin Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel allegedly confessed to police he was responsible for the killing but no charges have been brought despite pressure from Bradford West MP Naz Shah.
Gracie Duncan of Duncan Blackett Law, where Ms Zulfiquar completed work experience last year, told the Daily Mail: “She was a lovely girl, very quietly spoken, very keen to learn and to get into the profession.
"I am very shocked to learn what has happened to her.”
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a statement: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Pakistan and are urgently seeking more information from the local authorities
"Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.”
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