Latest news with #SajidMasih
Telegraph
02-08-2025
- Telegraph
They fell in love, then they were murdered in the name of ‘honour'
When he went to work as a servant for a local landlord family, Sajid Masih would have a spring in his step. The hours were long and the duties mundane. But every time he entered the Asif family home in a village in Pakistan's Punjab province, he had a chance to exchange a glance – perhaps a few words – with Sanah, the daughter of his employer with whom he had fallen in love. Over time, an unlikely relationship blossomed. Sanah was rich, privileged and part of a powerful landlord caste. Not only was Sajid a servant of the family – something that would immediately rule him out as a potential match – he was Christian. The odds appeared insurmountable. But on July 15, the young couple eloped. They fled the Asif home not far from the city of Gujrunwalla and headed for the vast southern megalopolis of Karachi, where they hoped to blend in among the 20 million other residents who surge through its streets. One week later, they married. In order to secure the approval of a local court, Sajid had converted to Islam, a legal requirement to wed a Muslim woman. Two bodies found For a time, they were happy. Husband and wife let loose. The sweltering summer heat cooled at night, and they could sit side by side on a bench to watch the world go by. But on July 28, two unidentifiable bodies were found by labourers in the China port area. They belonged to Sanah and Sajid, police later confirmed. Both had been shot with a single bullet to the head. And so detectives began the familiar task: launching an investigation into one of the hundreds of so-called 'honour killings' that take place each year in Pakistan. 'Sajid was a kind and hard-working son,' his mother, Arifa Bibi, told The Telegraph from an undisclosed location. 'He supported not just us – his elderly parents – but also his four younger siblings.' 'I don't know exactly what happened. But my son Sajid eloped with Sanah, the daughter of one of those landlords [we worked for]. Since then, we've been in hiding. Two days ago, we learned that Sajid and Sanah were killed in Karachi.' In Gujrunwala, Sanah's family filed a police report claiming their daughter had been kidnapped and raped. But Mohammad Riaz, a senior police officer in Karachi, said the main line of investigation was into Waqas Ali, Sanah's brother, who is the primary suspect in an alleged honour killing.
Khaleej Times
29-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
Bullet-ridden bodies of man, teen girl found near Karachi port in Pakistan
Bodies of a man and a woman, both riddled with bullets, were found on Monday in the Boat Basin area of Clifton, Karachi, as per ARY News. According to police, the deceased were identified as Sajid Masih and 17-year-old Sana Asif. The couple hailed from the same village in Gujranwala, ARY News reported. A kidnapping case was registered against Sajid Masih and others in connection with the abduction of Sana Asif on July 15 in Gujranwala. According to SSP South, the victims were killed by unidentified assailants, who shot them and left the bodies at the scene. A mobile phone and cash were found near the bodies, along with two 9mm shell casings. ARY News reported that the police stated the bodies appeared to be several hours old, suggesting that the murder occurred during the night. Local workers discovered the bodies and alerted the authorities. Gujranwala police have taken Sana's brother, Waqas, into custody. Investigations are ongoing, and the police are working to determine the motive behind the killings. Earlier, a viral video footage of the twin murders in Balochistan, allegedly filmed during Eid al-Adha, shows armed men brutally killing a woman and a man. The video drew public outrage, as per ARY News. At least 11 suspects have been arrested, including the head of the Satakzai tribe in the case. The prime suspect in the honour killing case was sent on a two-day physical remand, ARY News reported on July 22. After the post-mortem examination of the deceased, it was revealed that the woman was shot seven times, while the man received nine bullets. The woman was approximately 37 to 38 years old. She suffered one gunshot wound to the head and six to the chest and abdomen. The man, identified as Ehsanullah, was aged around 35 to 36 years, and had been shot nine times in the chest and abdomen.
