On July 11, 2021, Muhammad Aslam (referred to as Muhammad Ali in other sources) reported to the Defense B police station that his step-sister had been murdered and raped. Aslam discovered her sister’s body on the floor during his visit to her house on July 9. The victim is Nayab Nadeem, a 29-year old Pakistani model who recently returned from a trip to Dubai.
The Defense B police station, which has jurisdiction over the Defense Housing Authority residential subdivision in Lahore, Punjab province in Pakistan, quickly investigated Aslam’s reports. They found the model lying on the floor, dead and naked. According to station officer Nayyar Nisar, their initial findings indicate that Nadeem was strangled to death and that an autopsy will verify their conclusions.
In his statement to the Defense B police station, Aslam said that when he arrived at Nadeem’s house, he found the windows of her bathroom broken. “There were scars on my sister’s neck,” he added. Aslam explained that he regularly visits his sister to check on her and provide her with groceries since she’s living alone.
The police were eager to resolve the murder case. Working on Aslam’s lead, they were able to deduce that Nadeem’s phone is missing. Other local media outlets reported that the police could review her phone details, which led to one of Nadeem’s friends being investigated.
It was all a cruel ploy.
A spokesperson of the Punjab Police Office, Rana Arif, explained to a local news outlet that the man who first reported Nadeem’s death is the same person who killed her. Evidence collected from the crime scene indicates that Aslam was the last person to have seen Nadeem alive. Aslam then confessed to the murder.
In his confession, Aslam explained to the police that he killed Nadeem because she was “disgracing the family’s honor.” He has suspected Nadeem of having relationships with different men. During his last visit, he and the victim had an argument, which led him to strangle her to death. To mislead the police, he stripped her clothes and made it appear as a rape-murder case.
1000 out of the 5000 honor killings that are committed every year occur in Pakistan. According to an international advocacy group, Honour-Based Violence Awareness Network, India is not far behind with a very similar rate. Modi’s administration has taken drastic legal measures to combat honor-based violence, imposing severe penalties on perpetrators. In Pakistan, however, cultural impunity plays a huge factor in allowing this oppressive and senseless violence to continue without any legal resolution.
As of the writing of this article, no report indicates Muhammad Aslam being charged with murder.
