The killing has been linked to orders given last week by the jirga, a traditional assembly of elders, in Makol village, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported. “[The village elders] made a decision to punish the girl in a novel way so no one in future can dare to marry without consent of their parents”, a police official says. The van was then torched.
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According to District Police Officer (DPO) Khurram Rasheed, the couple with the help of the girl and a driver named Naseer left Makool for Abbottabad on April 23.
Reuters said 15 members of the tribal council were arrested in the case, as were the mother and the brother of the victim, who allegedly attended the meeting where the punishment was ordered and agreed to it. AP said there were 13 people arrested and said the girl was strangled to death rather than drugged before the van was set on fire. The police also revealed that Parvez has confessed to the murder and now justice will be served to the accused.
The victim’s mother, Shamim Riasat, was arrested for failing to disclose the circumstances of Amber’s death to the police even though she knew everything.
He added the case will be tried by an anti-terrorism court and that “exemplary punishment” will be recommended by police.
Police recovered the charred body of the teenage girl from Donga Gali on Friday and also found the drugs from the abandoned house and the can of petrol used to start the fire.
The couple the girl is said to have helped managed to escape. Another vehicle parked near the van was also damaged.
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Makool village councilor Pervez, ordered for Ambreen to be set on fire on charges for assisting her classmate to escape from the village to marry on her free will. Police moved the body to Ayub Medical Complex for an autopsy. She was stated to be a student of Grade-9. There was widespread concern about the gory incident in Abbottabad and the rest of Hazara.
