MIANWALI: Police have arrested an adolescent accused of shooting dead his 13-year-old cousin in Punjab’s Mianwali district, allegedly for stepping outside her home without wearing a hijab.
The incident occurred on October 15 near Madina Chowk in the Betian area, within the jurisdiction of Saddar police station.
According to police, the suspect, aged between 16 and 17 years, allegedly confronted the girl while she was accompanying family members to a grocery store and opened fire with a .30-calibre pistol. The girl sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene. Police said preliminary investigations suggested that the killing was linked to the suspect’s objection to her leaving home ‘without observing parda’.
A first information report (FIR), numbered 726/26, was registered at Saddar police station on the complaint of a family member under Sections 302 and 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which concern murder and punishment in certain circumstances, including honour-related killings.
Victim allegedly threatened before shooting
According to the complainant’s account recorded in the FIR, the family was heading towards a grocery store when the armed suspect approached them near Madina Chowk.
“Today I will teach you a lesson for stepping out of the house without a hijab,” the suspect allegedly shouted before opening fire. According to the FIR, seven shots were fired, striking the victim in different parts of her body.
The FIR describes injuries to the face, jaw, shoulder, wrist, back and leg, resulting in severe bleeding.
Family members and another relative reportedly attempted to apprehend the suspect immediately after the shooting, but he escaped towards the north.
Rescue 1122 subsequently transported the body to District Headquarters Hospital Mianwali.
The complainant alleged that the suspect, who regularly visited the family’s home, had previously objected to the victim going outside without a hijab.
Police arrest suspect
Following the incident, Mianwali’s district police officer ordered an immediate operation to apprehend the accused.
According to an official police statement, a team led by the Saddar sub-divisional police officer carried out the operation, while the Saddar station house officer and his team arrested the suspect.
Police said further legal proceedings were under way and investigators were examining all aspects of the case.
‘Honour’ killings in Pakistan
The killing comes amid continuing concerns over violence committed in the name of ‘honour’.
According to a report by non-governmental organisation Sahil, Pakistan recorded 3,172 cases of gender-based violence during the first six months of 2026, including 132 ‘honour-killing’ incidents.
The report also highlighted Punjab’s significant share of reported violence against women.
Police have not disclosed further findings about the Mianwali killing, and the alleged motive remains subject to investigation.
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