According to a police spokesperson, the incident occurred at about 1:15pm near Mera Tanolian village on Pir Chinasi Road, when Aqeel Ahmed, son of Muhammad Hussain, and his tenant, Ms Fakhra Amjad, daughter of Muhammad Amjad — both residents of the Plate neighbourhood in Muzaffarabad — had stopped their Mehran car by the roadside while returning from a drive.
Three to four men, one of them a police constable in plain clothes, confronted the pair, deemed their presence “suspicious,” and began beating Aqeel Ahmed.
During the assault, Ms Amjad got out of the car and tried to flee, but fell approximately 100–120 feet down a mountainside into a ravine, sustaining critical head injuries.
Aqeel Ahmed, also injured, tried to take her to hospital, but she died on the way. Her body was sent for postmortem at CMH Muzaffarabad before being handed over to her family.
Police arrested Aqeel Ahmed and Amir, son of Gul Zaman — a police constable from Mera Tanolian posted elsewhere — and were searching for the remaining suspects, the spokesperson said, adding, legal proceedings had been initiated.
The incident sparked street protests and a wave of online condemnation of so-called “moral brigades” accused of harassing and blackmailing couples for extortion.
On Sunday, dozens gathered outside the Press Club, demanding to know under what law anyone could question people about their relationships or reasons for visiting tourist spots.
Shahid Zaman Awan, a prominent civil society activist, said that if police had done their job, there would have been no need for the protest.
“Instead of swooping on those who caused the girl’s death, they have arrested the boy who accompanied her. This is the worst example of traditional police tactics,” he said.
Another protester, Yasir Mughal, demanded swift punishment for the culprits to deter such incidents.
Social media posts reflected similar anger.
According to many netizens, such incidents had been occurring in this and some other areas as well for a long time, but most victims would avoid reporting them to the police or speaking out publicly.
“Had the authorities taught an unforgettable lesson to some of the culprits, others would have learned from it. But alas, this does not fall in their priorities,” lamented Arham Shaikh, a local resident.
Famous social and political commentator Naila Altaf Kayani called the tragedy “yet another grim consequence of self-styled moral policing,” noting eyewitness claims that a police constable was among the perpetrators.
“Does our state give anyone the right to take a life?” she asked, calling it proof of “societal hypocrisy and the failure of law.”
Entrepreneur Azra Hafeez Salib decried “institutions openly backing thugs instead of doing their jobs,” warning that if the region could not uphold the rule of law, “God help the rest.”
Waqas Ahmed Zia, a young civil servant, called the killing “a stinging slap in the face of our justice system,” describing the “moral brigade” as robbers and killers shielded by political patronage.
Activist Fatima Anwar alleged the group had long been involved in harassment, looting, and sexual exploitation, and that a plainclothes police constable was among those who assaulted and robbed the couple, driving the girl to her death.
Calling it “not an accident but a murder,” she urged a boycott of Pir Chinasi until those responsible are punished.
Playwright Ishtiaq Ahmed Aatish ridiculed the police account as “suspect,” asking why, if the injured girl was being taken to hospital by her companion, “the three or four ‘noble gentlemen’ had vanished.”
“The Inspector General of Police should release the real report,” he demanded.
Tariq Naqash
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