Pakistan extradites man for murdering daughter in Italy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extradited a man wanted for the killing of his 18-year-old daughter to Italy where he will face trial.

Shabbar Abbas was arrested in his village in eastern last November on suspicion of killing his daughter Saman Abbas, who had gone missing in April 2021 after refusing to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage with her cousin.

“This is a step forward to allow justice to run its full course after a horrific crime,” Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said in a statement, adding that the suspect was on his way to Italy.

The teenage victim was identified by dental records after human remains were found near her family home in the northern Italian town of Novellara more than a year after her disappearance.

Saman’s body was dug up in November 2022 in an abandoned farmhouse near the fields where her father worked in northern Italy. Italian prosecutors contend the young woman was murdered by her family on May 1, 2021. A few days later, her parents flew from Milan to Pakistan.

The father has denied that his daughter is dead. Her uncle was extradited from France to face trial, along with two of her cousins.

Italian police made several contacts with the government of Pakistan for the extradition of the accused. The Prime Minister of Italy also announced all possible measures to investigate the murder.

The Italian government made requests repeatedly to the Pakistani authorities regarding the extradition of the accused. The Italian authorities had also hinted at deferring more than 1,700 technical visas for Pakistanis for non-cooperation.