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KARACHI: Police in Pakistan have arrested a television cameraman on charges of murdering his wife, who was found stabbed to death in their home in Karachi, officials said Saturday.

Qamar Abdi, a cameraman for a private news channel, was arrested after his wife’s family named him as the suspect in a First Information Report (FIR), the initial police complaint, according to Dr. Farrukh Raza, a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for Karachi’s East District.

“The accused, who works as a news cameraman, has been arrested for the murder of his wife,” Raza told Arab News. “The woman was brutally murdered with knife cuts on her body.”

According to the FIR, filed by the victim’s brother, Asim Ahmed, the killing took place on Friday morning in the couple’s rented flat in the Soldier Bazaar neighborhood, where they were living with their only daughter for the last four years. Ahmed told police he received a call from Abdi around 12:55 PM on August 29, saying, “Kulsoom has been murdered, hurry up and come home.”

Upon arriving at the scene, Ahmed found a police vehicle and an ambulance, and his sister’s body lying on the floor, covered with a black cloth.

Ahmed’s statement to the police described a history of domestic violence. He alleged that for the past four years, Abdi had been physically abusive, used drugs, and was financially dependent on his wife, who sewed clothes to make ends meet.

He said that his sister had previously left Abdi for two months due to the abuse but returned after her husband came to their family home and convinced her to come back.

They had married 15 years ago in a “love marriage,” a South Asian term commonly used for marriages based on mutual choice rather than family arrangement.

SSP Raza confirmed that police had collected samples from the crime scene, including samples from the couple’s daughter, who is believed to have been drugged during the incident.

“The case is under investigation and the results of the samples are also awaited,” he added.

The murder of Kulsoom is just one in a series of brutal killings of women in Karachi, often occurring in the privacy of homes. Only days earlier, another woman was allegedly killed by her husband in Orangi Town, and in Qur’angi, a husband was arrested for allegedly slaughtering his wife with a knife.

Authorities suspect domestic disputes to be the primary cause of these deaths, which frequently occur in the presence of the couple’s children.

The recent killings have brought renewed attention to the pervasive issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country. A March report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) stated that over 32,617 GBV cases were recorded in the first half of 2024 nationwide.

Despite the high number of incidents, activists say conviction rates remain low due to underreporting, patriarchal attitudes and a weak legal system.

Qurrat Mirza, a founding member of Aurat March Karachi, a women’s rights movement, condemned the latest killing, calling it part of a larger pattern.

“Another week another woman,” she said. “These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a horrifying pattern where patriarchy, silence and impunity feed domestic violence.”

“These tragedies reflect how deeply rooted patriarchal norms, lack of anger management and notions of control over women’s lives normalize violence within marriages,” he added.

Mirza stressed the need for a change in societal attitudes and called for urgent action.

“Women deserve safety, dignity and justice, not graves inside their homes,” she said.

KARACHI: A former Pakistani senator is set to join Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortágua on a multinational flotilla that will set sail next week in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

The mission comes as Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer from nearly two years of Israel’s war that has killed more than 62,000 people, including children, doctors, health workers and journalists, according to Gaza health authorities and the United Nations. The UN has warned of crimes against humanity and reported “catastrophic levels of forced starvation” in the territory, with more than two million people at risk of famine.

The fleet of over 100 vessels, which will converge in the Mediterranean, is bringing together four regional alliances: Sumud Nusantara from Asia, Sumud Maghrib from Africa, the Global March to Gaza from the Middle East, and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition from Europe.

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, affiliated with the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party, said he would be representing Pakistan on the Sumud flotilla, which organizers describe as the largest civilian maritime mission ever assembled for Gaza.

“This mission is entirely peaceful, non-violent, and rooted in humanitarian solidarity,” Khan told Arab News over the phone from Tunisia. “The aim is to break the blockade, establish a humanitarian corridor and stop ongoing genocide.”

Organizers have said the mission is the largest non-state humanitarian fleet in history, coordinated by grassroots groups rather than governments. In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said its “allegiance is to justice, freedom, and the sanctity of human life.”

Training for the voyage will be held in Tunisia from September 1–3, after which Khan and other participants are due to set sail on September 4. The cargo will consist of food, water and medicine.

“While the quantity may be symbolic, the true aim is to break the blockade and awaken the global conscience,” Khan said, adding that the flotilla’s position was “fully legal” as it would travel through international waters.

“Our destination is Gaza’s territorial waters. We will have no engagement or interaction with Israel and from a legal standpoint, our position is sound.”

The Pakistani delegation was flagged off earlier this week at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Khan said he is currently the only Pakistani participant, as other members are still awaiting visas.

The flotilla builds on more than a decade of similar attempts to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade. In June this year, Thunberg sailed from Sicily with humanitarian supplies on another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the Madleen, which was intercepted and seized by Israeli forces in international waters.

Khan said he and other participants were prepared for the risks, recalling blockades and attacks on past flotillas, including the deadly 2010 raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara that left 10 activists dead.

“There are three possible outcomes,” he said. “We either reach Gaza successfully, we are intercepted and deported, or we are attacked. We are risking our lives deliberately, not for fame, but for justice.”