LAHORE, Pakistan, May 30 (UPI) -- As Lahore, Pakistan, police defended their actions during an "honor killing" in which a woman was stoned to death, her husband admitted killing his first wife to marry her.
Farzana Parveen, on her way to Lahore court earlier this week to testify she married willingly and was not kidnapped by husband Muhammad Iqbal, was beaten and stoned to death outside the courthouse by her relatives. The family regarded the incident as an "honor killing" in a country where marriages are typically arranged by families and not the couple.
Police denied they did nothing to stop the assault. A report, demanded by the Punjab chief minister and submitted Friday, revealed there was no police presence at the time of the killing, but a nearby police inspector removed a gun from an attacker after he shot Parveen. About 20 members of her family -- and 10 to 15 of Iqbal's -- beat Parveen, who was three months pregnant, to death. Police claim she was dead when they arrived.
Iqbal has maintained police were present but did nothing, and also admitted killing his first wife six years ago. Iqbal, 45, said he strangled his wife to marry Parveen. Ironically, he avoided being sent to prison due to Islamic provisions under Pakistani law, which Iqbal now does not want available to Parveen's killers.
