Pakistani man seeking justice for 'honour killings' shot dead by nephew, police say
Mohammed Afzal publicly accused tribal council of putting group to death in 2012
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Your support makes all the difference.A man who fought against honour killings in Pakistan was killed by his nephew, police said Friday.
Mohammed Afzal was shot dead on Wednesday in the northwestern district of Abbottabad.
“We have arrested an accused from the scene of the crime and recovered a pistol from him,” Abbas Majeed, the area police chief, said on Friday.
He identified the suspect as Mr Afzal's nephew but offered no motive or explanation for his alleged involvement.
Detectives are recommending the man be charged with murder, Mr Majeed added.
Mr Afzal attracted national attention in 2012 after he claimed a tribal council had sentenced two of his brothers and four girls to death after a video emerged of the group dancing at a wedding.
The mixed gathering took place in the remote Pallas Valley, an extremely conservative part of Pakistan. Mr Afzal won praise and condemnation after he accused a cleric and the tribal assembly of ordering the killings.
A fifth girl, aged just 12-years-old, was killed for talking to her sister after the sentence was passed, he said.
While the case was being heard in court in 2013 three of Mr Afzal's brothers - including the two in the video - were killed.
The family’s land was seized and their home burned down.
The fate of the five girls remains disputed. Two investigators concluded a hurried probe shortly after the scandal became public and said the women were alive,
But a witness said in 2013 that the women had been killed. The group have never appeared before a court.
More than 1,000 women are murdered each year in honour killings across the country.
They often occur when a girl refuses an arranged marriage or chooses her own husband. Honour killings have also been reported for cases where a girl wore jeans, talked to a man or attempted to leave an abusive home.
Mr Afzal's death has prompted outrage in Pakistan's civil society.
Sherry Rehman, a prominent lawmaker, said she would raise his death in parliament.
Additional reporting by agencies
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