‘Murdered’ Pakistani woman reappears with second husband, six kids after 8 years

Asma Bibi, 30, married Ibrar Ahmed in 2009. She went missing a year later and her mother had told police that her daughter had been murdered by Ibrar.

A woman, who was believed to have been murdered by her husband eight years ago, was arrested after she surfaced this week with her second husband and six children in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Asma Bibi was arrested in Pakistan’s Punjab province. She told police she had no regrets eloping with her second husband. (Representative image)

The woman, 30-year-old Asma Bibi, reappeared at her village Phalayan in Jhelum district, 250 km from Lahore this week under a new name of Neelam.

A family member of her first husband filed a complaint against her after which the police arrested her.

A Jhelum Police spokesperson said Asma in 2009 had been married to Ibrar Ahmed.

In 2010, she went missing and her mother had told police that her daughter had been murdered by Ibrar.

Police registered a murder case against him under section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code and arrested him.

He said the complainant later withdrew her complaint against Ibrar “after getting compensation money”.

The police official said Asma had eloped with Nazeer Ahmed of her native village whom she had relations before marriage.

“We filed a case against Asma and her second husband under sections 494 and 420 of Pakistan Penal Code for contracting a second marriage without divorce from the first husband,” the police official said.

Asma told police that her family had married her off to Ibrar against her will.

“I loved Ahmed. As Ahmed got a job in Dubai we planned to settle there,” she said, adding that she had no regrets eloping with her second husband.

On Saturday, Jhelum civil judge Sobia Khatoon accepted the bail application of Asma and ordered her to submit two surety bonds worth ₹50,000 each.