Death in Pakistan rattles Oslo

Nina Berglund:

Members of Oslo's large Pakistani community are closely following the fallout from the death of a young Norwegian-Pakistani woman who was killed in an alleged car accident while on a family visit in Pakistan last month. Her father, grandfather and the driver of the car have now been indicted on charges they murdered her to save the family's honor.

Rahila Iqbal's husband, who was home in Oslo when she was killed, immediately claimed her family had staged the car accident to cover up a so-called "honor-killing." He has said the family never approved of him, and that their daughter married him against their will.

In a culture where many marriages are arranged, or allegedly forced, his claims set off a police investigation. Defense lawyers from Norway quickly flew to Pakistan to represent Rahila Iqbal's relatives.

Iqbal's father, grandfather and a family friend were arrested and held in prison, but police in Pakistan initially said they lacked hard evidence. An autopsy later discovered sedatives in the dead woman's stomach.

On Wednesday, Rahila Iqbal's father, a resident of Norway, and the father of Rahila Iqbal's mother were indicted on murder charges. The driver of the car in which she died after it plunged into a river was indicted on charges of actually carrying out the murder. All face the death penalty in Pakistan.

Sedative found in Rahila's stomach

Mother of possible murder victim now wanted

Family members charged with murder

Father still held in daughter's death