Women’s Rights activist Zil-e Huma Usman was shot to death by a fanatic during a public meeting in Lahore on Tuesday.
The fanatic, Ghulam Sarwar, had murdered 12 Lahore prostitutes earlier. He was arrested for the murder of the call girls and released from the jail last year.
He does not believe that women belong in politics… either.
Punjab Minister for Social Welfare Zil-e-Huma Usman died Tuesday from a gunshot wound in a hospital near Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday. (Pakistan Link)
The fanatic who shot the rights activist was upset that she was not wearing Islamic dress.
The AFP and Terrorism Research Center reported:
A suspected Islamic militant has shot dead a female provincial minister at a political meeting in central Pakistan, because she was not wearing Muslim clothing.
Zill-e Huma, the Punjab province minister for social welfare, was shot in the head at a function in Gujranwala city, provincial law minister Raja Basharat told AFP.
“She was shot dead by a fanatic when she was meeting with party workers,” he said Tuesday.
Officials said Huma was known for promoting women’s rights.
“He killed her because she was not observing the Islamic code of dress. She was also campaigning for emancipation of women,” local police officer Nazir Ahmad said.
“The suspect is an extremist and he has a history of targeting woman whom he believed to be immoral.”
The government of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has made some progress on women’s rights in recent years, as part of the pro-US ruler’s policy of “enlightened moderation” designed to tackle extremism.
The government introduced a bill in parliament on February 13 seeking to end the forced marriage of women and girls and allowing females to inherit property, officials said.
Medical staff rush critically injured Pakistani provincial assembly lawmaker Zil-e-Huma to operation theater at a local hospital in Gujranwala near Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007. Huma was shot and killed by a gunman as she prepared to address a gathering of workers from her political party, official said. (AP Photo/Aftab Rizvi)
The Khaleej Times has more on Zil-e-Huma:
Huma, 37, was married with two sons. Her husband is a doctor. She also ran a small fashion design business in Gujranwala. Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism, promotes a vision of ‘enlightened moderation’ for the predominantly Muslim country of 160 million people and has vowed to empower women.
Ghulam told police that: “Women occupying senior positions was against the rule of God, and was an attempt to subjugate men.”
