Police in Pakistan say a man has confessed to killing his former wife, an American national of Pakistani origin.
U.S. citizen Wajiha Swati went missing after arriving in Pakistan in mid-October to settle issues with her ex-husband, Rizwan Habib.
Habib, who was arrested on suspicion of murder last week, has confessed to killing his ex-wife the day she arrived in Rawalpindi, the city’s police chief, Sajid Kiyani, told a press conference on December 26.
Swati's body was exhumed from a house owned by an employee of Habib in the district of Lakki Marwat in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and brought to the city of Rawalpindi for a postmortem examination, Kiyani said.
He said that police believe Habib picked up Swati at the airport, abducted her, and killed her with the help of his father and his employee, both of whom were also arrested.
Investigators believe Swati was killed in a dispute over property.
The police officer said he was in contact with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad regarding the investigation.
It was not immediately clear where Swati resided.
According to Human Rights Watch, “violence against women and girls -- including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage -- remains a serious problem” across Pakistan.”
