Rawalpindi, August 7, 2025: Police have revealed that the leader of an illegal jirga, implicated in the murder of a married woman in Rawalpindi’s Pirwadhai area, has confessed to personally carrying out the killing.
According to a newly registered First Information Report (FIR), the suspect — identified as Ismatullah — admitted during interrogation that he murdered 27-year-old Sidra Arab, his own cousin, following a decision made by the jirga.
Investigators said Ismatullah confessed to forcibly taking Sidra from her husband Usman’s home in Muzaffarabad to Rawalpindi. He later shot and killed her, acting on what he claimed was a community decision, and then buried her in a local graveyard.
Police added that the suspect named several accomplices, including Saleh Muhammad and Amani Gul, who were allegedly present during the incident.
During questioning, Ismatullah also disclosed details about the murder weapon, which led police to recover a Kalashnikov rifle used in the crime. As the suspect was unable to produce a valid license for the firearm, a separate case has been registered against him for illegal weapons possession.
Authorities confirmed that the murder occurred during the night between July 16 and 17, and the woman’s body was buried in Pirwadhai.
The case has reignited concerns over the continued use of illegal jirgas and so-called honor killings, particularly in urban areas where such parallel justice systems are strictly prohibited by law.
Police say investigations are ongoing and further arrests are expected in the coming days.
