Man Kills Seven-Day-Old Infant

09-03-2022

Anna Magdalena Comploi 

Pakistan and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

On March 8th, 2022, a man from Lahore killed his seven-day-old daughter (Bokhari, 2022). A relative told Reuters that Shahzaib Khan, the suspect, was infuriated because he wanted his first-born to be a boy (Bokhari, 2022). The incident took place in Mianwali, a city in the province of Punjab (Sharma, 2022). The autopsy showed that the baby was shot five times and instantly died (Bokhari, 2022). Khan had left the family house in anger following the birth and returned to kill the infant a couple of days later (The Print, 2022) The infant’s mother, Mashal Fatima, stated that Khan had beaten her and cursed her daughter before pulling out a pistol and killing the baby later (The Print, 2022). Khan is facing a murder case which was filed by Fatima’s brother later (The Print, 2022). The suspect fled from the family home and is currently on the run from the police (Bokhari, 2022).  Following the murder, pictures of the dead infant and of the funeral were posted to social media, sending shockwaves across Pakistan (Bokhari, 2022).  Female infanticide is a common issue in Pakistan, with hundreds of babies being killed every year (Bokhari, 2022).  

Sources and further reading: 

Bokhari, M. (2022, March 9). Pakistani police search for man suspected of killing baby daughter. 

Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistani-police-search-man-suspected-killing-baby-daughter-2022-03-09/

Sharma, S. (2022, March 9). Manhunt launched for Pakistani father who ‘shot dead seven-day-old 

baby girl because he wanted a boy.’ The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/pakistan-mianwali-father-kills-daughter-b2031852.html

The Print. (2022, March 8). Man wanting a son kills newborn daughter in Pakistan’s Punjab 

province. ThePrint. https://theprint.in/world/man-wanting-a-son-kills-newborn-daughter-in-

pakistans-punjab-province/863441/