Saturday, May 13, 2023

Italy: Is Pakistan Protecting Father of Saman Abbas?

Hat tip HeHa

Saman Abbas


The saga of Saman Abbas, the young Pakistani girl allegedly murdered by her own family in 2021 in Italy because she refused an arranged marriage in Pakistan. Her uncle and two cousins are standing trial for murder in Italy while her parents have absconded to Pakistan. The father, Shabbar Abbas, was subsequently arrested by Pakistani police and is undergoing extradition proceedings back to Italy. However, the hearing has been postponed 20 times for various reasons. Many in Italy believe Pakistan is obstructing the process.

The below article from Il Giornale is translated by Fousesquawk.

Saman Abbas, continua l'ostruzionismo del Pakistan: rinviata l'udienza del padre - ilGiornale.it

Saman Abbas: The obstructionism from Pakistan continues: Father's hearing postponed

May 10, 2023

-Giovanni Fiorentino


The Tribunal of Islamabad has postponed the hearing on the extradition of Shabbar Abbas for the 20th time. The father of Saman Abbas, accused of the murder of his daughter along with four other relatives, will still remain in Pakistan for the time being.

Caption: Shabbar Abbas-father of Saman


A new postponement of the hearing, the 20th, which risks further lengthening the process necessary for the extradition of one of the alleged perpetrators of the murder of Saman Abbas. For the moment, Shabbar Abbas, father of the girl, therefore,  remains in Pakistan. These are the latest developments connected to the story of the young Pakistani girl (who) disappeared in Novellara (in Emilia Romagna) in the province of Reggio Emilia) in 2021, whose body was recovered at the end of last year buried in a field. The parent has been charged in Italy along with four other relatives of Saman (the mother, the uncle, and two cousins), accused of homicide, destruction of a cadaver, and kidnapping, but after having left Emilia and returning to his home country, and still awaiting extradition. Except the hearing has been postponed 20 times, reinforcing the argument of those who already judged the attitude shown by the Pakistani authorities as rather obstructionist.

Ex prime minister of Pakistan going to trial

Shabbar was supposed to appear in court yesterday but apparently did not reach the tribunal of Islamabad. The reason apparently, is the beginning of the concurrent trial for corruption and  (misappropriation) of state funds against former prime minister Imran Khan. A proceeding of such importance that the court building was made unreachable, putting back almost all the other proceedings. That's why the hearing for the father of Saman has been moved back to next Tuesday barring further postponements. According to what is reported by the daily, Il Resto del Carlino, his participation in a video conference hearing the day after tomorrow in the ongoing trial at the tribunal of Reggio Emilia is not assured. The investigators, as noted, theorize that the young girl was killed because she opposed a forced marriage with a cousin who was 10 years older.

The trap set for Saman

The video surveillance camera captured Saman Abbas returning home on April 20, 2021: She had returned to retrieve the documents she would need to marry her fiance, Saqib Ayub. Subsequently, on April 22, the video camera recorded the Carabinieri arriving at the Abbas home and taking the young girl to the caserne: It was at that moment that she filed the last complaint against her parents because they allegedly took the documents (from her).  The girl also told the (Carabinieri) that the father allegedly told her to claim she lost them. Finally, the results of the autopsy have been released: On Saman's body, a fracture of the horn of the hyoid (neck bone) was found making it possible to establish that the girl was strangled, apparently by bare hands. The investigators believe that the relatives set a trap for her, inducing her to return.  And there should be more developments soon.



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