Pakistan police ‘ignored pleas for protection’ from UK woman murdered in Lahore
It is thought that both suspects had wanted to marry Mayra Zulfiqar
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A UK resident murdered in Pakistan apparently repeatedly asked the police for protection, following death threats she received from a suspect.
Mayra Zulfiqar, a law graduate who lived in London, was found dead in a rented flat in Pakistan early on Monday with bullet wounds to her neck and arm, a post mortem revealed on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old moved to the city of Lahore in Pakistan two months ago after travelling to the country for a wedding.
Four men, two of them suspects, are thought to have broken into her flat early on Monday morning following a dispute and several death threats.
It is thought that she was friends with both suspects and that they had both wanted to marry her, reported the BBC.
According to Pakistan’s English-language newspaper Dawn, the victim submitted an application for police protection from suspect Zahir Jadoon, over concerns that he had threatened to kill her.
Officials have revealed that Zulfiqar had uploaded photographs of Mr Jadoon to social media following an argument. These apparently angered him.
Police confirmed they have opened first information report (FIR) on the case having received a complaint from Zulfiqar’s uncle, Lahore resident Mohammad Nazeer.
The FIR said that Mr Nazeer had discovered his niece’s body after receiving a phone call from her father in London, to say that she had died.
Mr Nazeer also said that Zulfiqar had told him she had become involved in a dispute with two male friends. She had apparently refused both of their marriage proposals and as a result they had threatened her with “dire consequences”.
The police believe that Zulfiqar’s death was a “crime of passion” and one man has now been arrested in connection to her murder with the police continuing to search for the second suspect.
Sayyed Ali, an operations superintendent at Punjab Police, told Dawn that an unidentified caller had alerted the police of the murder. He added that forensic experts had attended and cordoned off the scene.
Mr Ali said that Zulfiqar had been discovered in a pool of blood in her room with her mobile phone close to her body. Mr Ali confirmed: “We have seized the mobile phone for forensic analysis.”
Zulfiqar was a Belgian national of Pakistani origin who had been living with her family in the UK. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said it was referring family inquiries to Belgian consular services.
This article was amended on 18 May, 2021. It was initially thought that Zulfiqar was a British citizen, however she was a Belgian national, resident in the UK, and we have amended the article to reflect this.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments