ianstone
08-10-2010, 04:00 PM
Son flees 'honour killing bloodbath' after parents were shot dead for refusing to let daughters marry their cousins
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 11:58 AM on 10th August 2010
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A British couple were shot dead in a 'honour killing' after they refused to let their two daughters marry their nephews, a family friend has revealed.
Gul Wazir and his wife Niaz Begum were eating breakfast when three men burst in and carried out the bloody 'revenge' attack.
Their son only escaped because he was upstairs taking a shower. Hearing the gunfire he rushed downstairs to find a bloodbath and his parents dead.
It has emerged that the row erupted when the taxi driver was asked by his Pakistan-based brother Noor if he would allow his daughters to marry his sons Awal Zamir and Rehman, who is believed to be one of the gunmen.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/10/article-0-0ABC40F4000005DC-140_468x286.jpg Marriage dispute: The Wazir's home in Birmingham. Their son Mehboob survived the 'honour killing' attack and is in a stable condition in hospital
But the daughters - who had stayed at home in Alum Rock, Birmingham - refused the proposals.
The aborted marriage was discussed in a grand jirga, or assembly of the village, which ended with an order for the Wazirs to pay the equivalent of £18,800 to their nephew in compensation.
But although both parties agreed with the decision, two days later, Rehman allegedly shot his uncle and aunt at the house they were staying at.
Mr Wazir was visiting relatives in Salehana, a remote village in Nowshera province, with his wife and 28-year-old son Mehboob Alam, when the approach was made.
Today family friend Hassan Ahmed said Mr Wazir refused the offer because his daughters were worried about the language barrier and cultural differences.
As a result, a meeting of four village elders was called and they agreed with the Briton and his wife.
Mr Wazir thought the matter was closed but on Friday three men sprayed bullets at the couple as they chatted over breakfast, Mr Ahmed said.
Their son was forced to run for his life after finding his parents dead.
Mr Ahmed added: 'This was a revenge killing. Everybody has arms on them in this particular area. It's terrible.
'I think the family are after justice now. Their mum and dad have been murdered in cold blood for no real sensible reason and it is very important that the British Government put pressure on the Pakistani police and government to do something about it.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/08/article-1301264-0AB9CE78000005DC-493_468x467.jpg Gul Wazir and wife Bagum were gunned down in the village of Salehana in the remote and dangerous Nowshera province
West Midlands Police said it was investigating a threat made against one of Mr Wazir's relatives, believed to be another one of his sons, in Birmingham on Friday.
Mehboob Alam has since returned to the UK, while his sisters are described as being safe.
In a similar case last May, Mohammad and Pervaze Yousaf, from Nelson, Lancashire, were gunned down in a graveyard in north-east Pakistan after the arranged marriage of their son Kamar to his cousin broke down, sparking a family dispute.
Councillor Eileen Ansar, of Pendle Borough Council, is related to the Yousaf family.
She said she was concerned about the practice of marrying off British women abroad.
The 45-year-old added: "The girls do it because they are going through the motions and they will lose the respect of their family if they don't go through with it.
'If you are moving well-educated girls from the UK to marry men who are not educated in Pakistan, then it's not going to work as they have nothing in common.
'The families themselves should be looking at their futures as well. The parents should be considering a lot more what they are doing because it's an absolute tragedy what's happened.'
The Foreign Office said it distinguished between forced and arranged marriages. A spokeswoman said its dedicated forced marriages unit dealt with 1,700 cases a year.
It had the ability to send officers to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to rescue people seeking a way out of a forced marriage, she said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301826/Son-flees-honour-killing-bloodbath-parents-shot-dead.html#ixzz0wEdHgz29
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 11:58 AM on 10th August 2010
Comments (55) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301826/Son-flees-honour-killing-bloodbath-parents-shot-dead.html#comments)
Add to My Stories (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301826/Son-flees-honour-killing-bloodbath-parents-shot-dead.html)
A British couple were shot dead in a 'honour killing' after they refused to let their two daughters marry their nephews, a family friend has revealed.
Gul Wazir and his wife Niaz Begum were eating breakfast when three men burst in and carried out the bloody 'revenge' attack.
Their son only escaped because he was upstairs taking a shower. Hearing the gunfire he rushed downstairs to find a bloodbath and his parents dead.
It has emerged that the row erupted when the taxi driver was asked by his Pakistan-based brother Noor if he would allow his daughters to marry his sons Awal Zamir and Rehman, who is believed to be one of the gunmen.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/10/article-0-0ABC40F4000005DC-140_468x286.jpg Marriage dispute: The Wazir's home in Birmingham. Their son Mehboob survived the 'honour killing' attack and is in a stable condition in hospital
But the daughters - who had stayed at home in Alum Rock, Birmingham - refused the proposals.
The aborted marriage was discussed in a grand jirga, or assembly of the village, which ended with an order for the Wazirs to pay the equivalent of £18,800 to their nephew in compensation.
But although both parties agreed with the decision, two days later, Rehman allegedly shot his uncle and aunt at the house they were staying at.
Mr Wazir was visiting relatives in Salehana, a remote village in Nowshera province, with his wife and 28-year-old son Mehboob Alam, when the approach was made.
Today family friend Hassan Ahmed said Mr Wazir refused the offer because his daughters were worried about the language barrier and cultural differences.
As a result, a meeting of four village elders was called and they agreed with the Briton and his wife.
Mr Wazir thought the matter was closed but on Friday three men sprayed bullets at the couple as they chatted over breakfast, Mr Ahmed said.
Their son was forced to run for his life after finding his parents dead.
Mr Ahmed added: 'This was a revenge killing. Everybody has arms on them in this particular area. It's terrible.
'I think the family are after justice now. Their mum and dad have been murdered in cold blood for no real sensible reason and it is very important that the British Government put pressure on the Pakistani police and government to do something about it.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/08/article-1301264-0AB9CE78000005DC-493_468x467.jpg Gul Wazir and wife Bagum were gunned down in the village of Salehana in the remote and dangerous Nowshera province
West Midlands Police said it was investigating a threat made against one of Mr Wazir's relatives, believed to be another one of his sons, in Birmingham on Friday.
Mehboob Alam has since returned to the UK, while his sisters are described as being safe.
In a similar case last May, Mohammad and Pervaze Yousaf, from Nelson, Lancashire, were gunned down in a graveyard in north-east Pakistan after the arranged marriage of their son Kamar to his cousin broke down, sparking a family dispute.
Councillor Eileen Ansar, of Pendle Borough Council, is related to the Yousaf family.
She said she was concerned about the practice of marrying off British women abroad.
The 45-year-old added: "The girls do it because they are going through the motions and they will lose the respect of their family if they don't go through with it.
'If you are moving well-educated girls from the UK to marry men who are not educated in Pakistan, then it's not going to work as they have nothing in common.
'The families themselves should be looking at their futures as well. The parents should be considering a lot more what they are doing because it's an absolute tragedy what's happened.'
The Foreign Office said it distinguished between forced and arranged marriages. A spokeswoman said its dedicated forced marriages unit dealt with 1,700 cases a year.
It had the ability to send officers to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to rescue people seeking a way out of a forced marriage, she said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301826/Son-flees-honour-killing-bloodbath-parents-shot-dead.html#ixzz0wEdHgz29