Daily Times

Zulfiqar Wassan, a close relative of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Manzoor Wassan and primary suspect in the murder of teenage girl Ramsha Wassan was arrested on Wednesday, a private TV channel reported.

According to police, Zulfiqar was wanted in a number of cases, including kidnapping for ransom, theft and the murder of Ramsha.

SSP Khairpur Umer Tufail confirmed the news about the arrest of Zulfiqar stating the accused is involved in 20 more cases. “We have arrested him and starred and inquiry into Ramsha’s murder,” he added.

The police, in its press release, stated that the victim was killed in the name of ‘honour’ and the main accused had previously committed three ‘honour’ killings but was never arrested and ‘was a symbol of terror in the area’. “The FIR was registered on behalf of the state in order to avert pressure and threats to the victim’s family for withdrawing the case later on, and to prevent compound ability,” added the statement.

On February 1, Ramsha, a seventh-grade student, was killed in the name of Karo Kari (honour killing) in Khairpur’s Kunb area. Ramsha’s mother said that the teenager was killed in the name of honour by Manzoor Wassan’s close relative as she wanted to marry a boy of her own will. The relatives of the teenager had named four suspects in the FIR of which three have been arrested so far.

A day earlier, police arrested PPP leader Nawab Wassan’s cook, Imtiaz Wassan, in connection with the case. An accomplice of the primary suspect identified as Ghafar Wassan was also arrested two days ago.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had taken notice of the incident and issued special directions to SSP Khairpur regarding the arrest of the accused.

The hashtag #JusticeForRamsha has also gone viral on social media with several demanding that justice be served. Protests were also staged in various cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Hyderabad and Khairpur, demanding action and criticizing the PPP government.

Meanwhile, PPP leader Manzoor Wassan while speaking to a private TV channel rejected the reports that he had been pressuring police and intervening in the matter. “Ramsha’s relatives registered a case against Zulfiqar Wassan and others. Arrests have been made and we have neither intervened nor exerted any pressure. The entire Wassan clan is the same for us,” he said. “Many people do not know the background of the case. The same person did not kidnap and kill Ramsha,” he added.

Published in Daily Times, February 7^th 2019.