THE FATHER of a British law graduate who was shot dead in Pakistan on May (3) has complained about the lack of progress in the investigation and demanded the death penalty for those found guilty of the crime.
In an interview with the Associated Press last Friday (21), Muhammad Zulfiqar said, “I have been made a shuttlecock between different departments of the police but still, there is no headway in the investigations.
“I will continue raising my voice until I get justice and her murderers are publicly hanged.”
He also appealed to Nobel Peace prize winner and activist Malala Yousafazi, asking her to help speak up and help in resolving the case. He said, “My dear daughter Malala, I appeal to you for God's sake please raise your voice for my daughter. She was like your sister.”
“Your voice is heard. The only difference is that you have gone abroad after studying here and my daughter came to Pakistan to serve humanity.”
Zulfiqar’s 24-year-old daughter Mayra was shot dead in Lahore on May 3.
Her body was found in a flat in Lahore, where she had moved two months earlier after travelling to Pakistan for a wedding. She previously lived in southwest London.
Soon after her death, it was revealed she had repeatedly asked the police for protection after receiving death threats.
It is said that she had been threatened by two men who both wanted to marry her, but she had rejected them.
Police are now thought to be working on the theory that one or both of the men hired a hitman to carry out the killing.
One of the chief suspects - Saad Butt - was arrested on Wednesday (19). He is being held in Lahore for questioning, police officers said, adding that they are speaking to another 'key suspect' without revealing who it was.
It is thought another prime suspect is still at large, though officers had said they planned to speak with him soon.
Investigators believe Butt and his accomplice had Mayra killed while fighting for her affections, though they both deny any involvement in the murder.
Delhi’s air quality dropped to hazardous levels after Diwali, topping global pollution charts.
IQAir recorded a reading of 442 for New Delhi, 59 times higher than WHO’s recommended level.
Supreme Court had allowed limited use of “green crackers”, but violations were reported.
Lahore ranked second most polluted city with an air quality reading of 234.
AIR quality in New Delhi deteriorated to hazardous levels on Tuesday (October 21), with pollution readings the highest in the world, according to Swiss group IQAir. The spike followed the use of firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
The Supreme Court of India had last week relaxed a ban on firecrackers in the city, allowing the use of “green crackers” for a maximum of three hours each on Sunday and Monday. However, Reuters witnesses reported that firecrackers were set off outside the permitted time.
Emissions from green crackers are 30 to 50 per cent lower than conventional fireworks.
IQAir recorded a reading of 442 for New Delhi, making it the most polluted major city in the world. The PM 2.5 concentration was more than 59 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended annual guideline.
PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can enter the lungs and increase the risk of deadly diseases and cardiac problems.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rated the city’s air quality as “very poor” with an air quality index (AQI) of 350. CPCB considers an AQI between 0 and 50 as good.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the “Very Poor to Poor” category in the coming days, with AQI levels expected between 201 and 400.
Delhi and its neighbouring districts experience smog every winter as cold air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from agricultural fires. The pollution affects many of the city’s 20 million residents, leading to respiratory illnesses.
In the past, authorities have closed schools, suspended construction work and restricted the use of private vehicles to reduce pollution levels.
India is not the only South Asian country facing severe air pollution.
In Pakistan’s Punjab province, which borders India, the government has implemented an “emergency plan” to tackle toxic air. The plan includes measures against farm fires and smoke-emitting vehicles, and the use of anti-smog guns in highly polluted areas.
The air quality reading for Lahore, the provincial capital, was 234 — the second highest in the world, according to IQAir.
“Right now, the major issue is the air coming from Indian Punjab and other parts, which is affecting the air quality in various parts of Pakistani Punjab,” said Sajid Bashir, spokesperson for Punjab’s Environment Protection Agency.
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