Father and ex-husband of alleged Bradford 'honour killing' victim appear in court

Samia Shahid, 28, died in July while visiting relatives in northern Punjab.

Her family said she died from natural causes but her second husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazam believes she was killed because of her marriage to him.

The BBC is reporting today that Ms Shahid's first husband, Choudhry Shakeel, has been arrested on suspicion of her murder while her father Mohammad has been held as an accessory to murder.

Both appeared in court in Pakistan and have been remanded for four days.

Ms Shahid’s family has previously strongly denied any involvement in her death.

Media reports in Pakistan have said a forensic report has confirmed that she was murdered.

The News newspaper said the report “stated clearly that her death had been caused due to suffocation, as she was stopped from breathing”. The reports follow claims last week from Mr Kazam that a 7.5in (19cm) bruise was found on his wife’s neck.

Mr Kazam married his wife in Leeds in September 2014 after she left her first husband, who was a cousin from Pakistan. Mr Kazam, from Bradford, said his wife moved to live with him in Dubai last year but had made trips to the UK to talk to her parents about the relationship.

He said she went to Pakistan on July 14 as a member of her family was ill. Mr Kazam said his wife had been healthy and he did not believe reports of her dying naturally.