UK couple victims of Pakistan 'honour killing'

Taxi driver Gul Wazir and his wife, named locally as Begum, had reportedly visited the country to resolve the row which is believed to have arisen after a planned marriage between the Birmingham couple's daughter and a man in Pakistan fell through.

Yesterday neighbour May Sparrow, a pensioner who has known Mr Wazir since he was about 18, paid tribute to him as "a proper Brummie" who idolised his family. "He was full of life, he was delightful. There's nothing bad you could say about him. He was living a lovely life."

She said she believed he was in his mid-50s, had lived in the Alum Rock area of the city all his life and had a big family.

He worked as a taxi driver, she added.

She went on: "I would imagine he went to Pakistan because he didn't want his daughter to marry this other person.

"It sort of fits perfectly that if his daughter didn't want to marry someone over there he would step in and stop it."

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: "The murder inquiry is being carried out

by the authorities in Pakistan and we will support their

investigation as and when required."

Mr Wazir's former boss at Manor Cars in Birmingham, Mohammad Siddique, said: "We are very shocked, all my staff and myself. We can't believe this happened."

Asked whether it was an "honour killing", Mr Siddique said: "I think so but I'm not sure. I've heard they have got some family problems with his brothers and his nephews."