The trial will begin on Monday when the court has called on prosecution witnesses to appear, said Zulfiqar. He said police and doctors who conducted the autopsy of the victim would be among those testifying. “We have a strong case against the suspects but it is up to the court how to take view of our investigation,” he said.
Ms Parveen’s husband, 45-year-old Mohammad Iqbal, has previously said police outside the Lahore court did nothing during the 15 minutes the violence lasted. “I begged them to help us but they said, this is not our duty”, he said.
Police deny failing to help the woman and say no officers were present at the time, but Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has demanded an inquiry into the police’s involvement in the incident.
The case as a whole has brought international attention to violence against women in Muslim-authority Pakistan, where “honour killings” are carried out by families as punishment for alleged adultery or other perceived illicit behaviour.
By Adam Withnall
