Authorities in Rawalpindi exhumed the body of 17-year-old Sidra Arab on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into her killing seemingly over honour.
Police said Sidra’s post-mortem was carried out at Pirwadhai Graveyard by a team from Holy Family Hospital, led by Senior Medical Officer Dr Misbahur Rehman. The medical board also included Dr Arif Saleem, mortuary supervisor Muhammad Saeed, and a hospital dispenser.
Samples collected from the body will be sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency in Lahore. The results are expected to help determine the cause of death.
Preliminary findings indicate signs of torture. Police sources said that Sidra’s body was swollen due to water exposure, her tongue was protruding, and her neck bones were broken. The burial site had reportedly been tampered with to erase evidence, despite heavy rainfall on the day of the funeral.
Read: Man kills wife for ‘honour’
Police believe Sidra may have been strangled in a suspected honour killing. Hospital officials said the medical board will submit a sealed report to the court once the forensic tests are complete.
Eight suspects, including former union council vice chairperson Ismatullah Khan, have been arrested. Police say the suspects exhibited “extreme brutality” and are now being presented before the court under special security. Investigators are seeking extended physical remand for further interrogation.
Sidra’s second husband, Usman, and his father Muhammad Ilyas were brought to the graveyard for formal identification of the body. The exhumation and autopsy were conducted under court orders.
Sidra had married her second husband, Usman, in Muzaffarabad on July 12. According to court documents, she had appeared before a judicial magistrate days later, confirming the marriage was consensual and stating that she feared for her life. She also requested court protection.
Usman surrendered to police shortly after her death and handed over the marriage certificate and supporting documents. His father Ilyas released a video statement alleging that Sidra had been taken from their home by armed members of a local jirga, who promised a respectful farewell but instead killed her.
Police say Sidra’s burial was organised to hide the crime. CCTV footage from the graveyard, burial tools, and the loader rickshaw used to transport her body were recovered. Officials also found the relevant burial receipt had been removed from cemetery records.
The jirga was allegedly led by Ismatullah Khan, a former Union Council Vice Chairman and local trader affiliated with the PML-N. Party officials have since publicly distanced themselves from him.
Investigators say Section 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code has been invoked, ensuring the case cannot be settled privately and will proceed under state prosecution.
