Sajida Tasneem: Father of Australian woman ‘hacked to death’ in Pakistan was threatened

The father of an Australian woman who was ‘hacked to death’ in Pakistan by her father-in-law has revealed what took place in the lead up to her death. WARNING: Graphic.

The father of an Australian woman who was allegedly hacked to death with an axe in Pakistan has spoken about how his daughter was treated by her father-in-law in the lead up to her death.

Sher Muhammed Kahn said his daughter Sajida Tasneem was forced by her husband Ayub Ahmed to travel from Perth to Pakistan with her three children, the Guardian reported.

Mr Khan said Ms Tasneem’s father-in-law, Muktar Ahmad, forced her to give up her passport.

He said Muktar Ahmed threatened to kill him if anyone tried to intervene during his alleged attack on Ms Tasneem.

“I feared for our lives and did not move,” Mr Khan said.

Police deputy superintended Syed Saqlain Jaffer said Muktar Ahmad had been arrested and charged with murder, The Guardian reported.

“The crime tool, the axe through which the [alleged] murder was committed, as also been recovered, It shows the involvement of [Muktar] Ahmad,” Mr Jaffer said.

WARNING ABOUT HONOUR KILLINGS

Ms Tasneem wrote a prophetic warning about the “horror” of honour killings in Pakistan before her death.

“Why is it that a woman is killed every time in the name of honour?” she wrote in a Facebook post in June 2021, almost exactly a year before her death.

Ms Tasneem had captioned a photo of what she said were unmarked graves in the city of Daharki, in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

“There women are buried without bath and shrouds who are made food of axes or Kalashnikovs by their brothers, father or husband,” she wrote, according to a translation of the post.

Sajida Tasneem was allegedly killed by her father-in-law. Picture: Facebook

“None of the relatives of the killed women are allowed to visit their graves openly,” she continued.

“God knows how long this law of horror and ignorance will continue here, not the jungle?”

BBC Urdu reports that Ms Tasneem was killed by her father-in-law in northern Pakistan following an argument about relocating back to Australia with her three young children.

The hashtag JusticeForSajidaTasneem has been circulating on social media with unconfirmed images purporting to show Ms Tasneem being chased while holding a child. They have not been independently verified.

According to a police report, she was arguing with her father-in-law – who had confiscated the family’s passports – after announcing her plans to move back to Australia.

Ms Tasneem, who studied civil engineering at university, had wanted to return to Perth to give her children a better education.

She was allegedly gagged and killed in front of her own father at a home she shared with her in-laws near the city of Sargodha, 190 kilometres west of Lahore, on June 11, BBC Urdu reports.

Ms Tasneem’s husband, engineer Ayub Ahmed, was reportedly working in Bahrain at the time.

Punjab police confirmed a person had been arrested and charged with Ms Tasneem’s murder.

Ms Tasneem’s father Sher Muhammad Khan, a retired civil aviation employee, said that she fought daily with her in-laws over wanting to return to the “non-Muslim” country, according to BBC Urdu.

The outlet reported that Mr Khan witnessed the killing when he attempted to visit his daughter.

“My daughter’s only fault was that she came to Pakistan after being seduced by her husband,” he said, according to BBC Urdu.

“She wanted her children to get a higher education in Australia and not see the deprivations of life that are with us.”

Tributes have poured for the mother, who leaves behind a son and two daughters — the youngest of whom is just three years old.

“I don’t know how to comprehend my pain,” friend Nazia Mesia said.

“Sajida is someone who was always ready to help, positive and beautiful soul.”

“You are in our heart and I will always cherish our memories and beautiful moments we had together.”

Closer to home, Australia’s Pakistan community have been left “shocked” and “saddened” by the alleged murder.

Muhammad Ibrahim, originally from Lahore but based in Sydney, told SBS News that the community had a “responsibility to protect women” and expose the issue of domestic violence faced by migrant women.

“This horrific incident has saddened myself and the Pakistani community to the core. I am short of words to express my grief,” he said.

“We need to do something so that nothing of that sort ever happens to any other Australian women. We need to empower our women in a way that no one in future can exploit them or take advantage of them wherever they are in the world.”

A spokesperson said staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had been in contact with the family to offer condolences.

“The family is being provided consular assistance,” the spokesperson said.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the young children, who had all reportedly received Australian citizenship, would be cared for.

Yasmin Khan, the director of the Bangle Foundation, which helps women escape domestic violence, said she had spoken to Ms Tasneem’s family and that the children were in their custody.

“At the moment the children are traumatised and still adjusting to something that’s not even a week old. I have spoken to her father and he hasn’t sorted anything out yet about the future plans for the kids,” she wrote on Facebook.

If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.