Zeenat Raqibi, 18-year-old Pakistani woman married her husband for just one week when her mother showed up and told the couple that she wants to throw a grand wedding celebration. Her mother, Parveen Bibi has never approved her relationship with Hassan Khan who was her classmate.
But now, all was forgiven, her mother told her to come home to celebrate so she’s not branded as an eloper, Rafiq nervously agreed. But when she got home to Lahore, Pakistan her mother and brother beat and strangled her, then tied her to a cot, doused her in kerosene and lit her on fire.
Toxic mix of greed, misogyny, ego contributed to ‘honor killing’ of Zeenat Bibi #Lahore https://t.co/JSqtBJmcqG pic.twitter.com/aDANRmK84d
— Newsweek Pakistan (@NewsweekPak) June 25, 2016
After the attack, her mother ran out of the house and started yelling “I have killed my daughter for misbehaving and giving our family a bad name.” Later Perveen Bibi and her son Anees Rafiq were arrested and charged in the young woman’s death. The mother told the police that she has no regret.
Hassan Khan, Rafiq’s husband, described his wife as his high school sweetheart in an interview. “We were just friends in the beginning,” he said, “but both of us realised we loved each other after some time.”
Eventually, the two decided to get married. Khan said he urged Rafiq to discuss their engagement with her family. When she did, he said, they beat her mercilessly.
For the first two days, Khan said, they hid at a cousin’s house, fearing retribution from Rafiq’s relatives. Then they went to Khan’s mother’s house. A few days later, Khan said, Rafiq’s mother and an uncle arrived with something of an olive branch: if you let Rafiq return home, they said, we’ll arrange a formal wedding reception.