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Family of British woman accused of ordering husband's murder in Pakistan launch petition to UK government

Saima Bashir, 38, and brother Sajid Bashir, 40, face the possibility of their mum Yasmin Kausar, 62, having the death penalty after she was accused of ordering the murder of her husband in Pakistan. (SWNS)
Saima Bashir, 38, and brother Sajid Bashir, 40, face the possibility of their mum Yasmin Kausar, 62, having the death penalty after she was accused of ordering the murder of her husband in Pakistan. (SWNS)

The family of a British mother who is facing the death penalty in Pakistan after being accused of ordering her husband's murder have launched a campaign to clear her name.

Yasmin Kausar, 62, is accused of ordering her young lover to murder her husband and dispose of his body in a burning car so they could start a new life together.

She was arrested alongside two others - Abdul Waheed, 22, who she is accused of having a relationship with, and Abdul Idrees, 24.

Police believe Kausar's husband Mohammad Farooq, 65, from Headingley, Leeds, was strangled at the family's Pakistan home.

Yasmin Kausar is accused of ordering the murder of husband Mohammad Farooq in Pakistan. (SWNS)
Yasmin Kausar is accused of ordering the murder of husband Mohammad Farooq in Pakistan. (SWNS)

His charred body was found in a burnt-out car at a rubbish dump in Morgah, near Islamabad, 27 miles away on 1 April.

His widow was detained on 4 April by police in Rawalpindi, who released a statement to local media saying they had 'solved’ the murder.

Read more: Kidnap victim 'bundled into car boot' is found by police investigating smashed-up house and car

But Kausar's daughter Saima Bashir, 38, has branded the allegations "nonsense", and said her mother had been framed.

The family have now launched a petition calling for the British government to contact authorities in Pakistan and ensure that Kausar's human rights are being protected.

Saima Bashir, 38, and brother Sajid Bashir, 40, say the allegations about their mother are nonsense. (SWNS)
Saima Bashir, 38, and brother Sajid Bashir, 40, say the allegations about their mother are nonsense. (SWNS)

Speaking from her home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Saima Bashir said: "My mum is 100 per cent innocent. She was married to my stepdad for 23 years, they had a loving relationship.

“They were like soulmates, they were best friends. There’s no way my mum would have done this."

Bashir, who is undergoing treatment for cancer herself, said she feared for the safety of her mother, who has Type 2 diabetes, in the prison where she is being held on remand ahead of a court appearance.

She claimed she has been beaten and tortured and had her medication withheld when she was first arrested, adding: "They’ve arrested my mum and on the second day, they’ve tried to interrogate mum to make her confess that she’s killed him.

"She’s been subjected to mental and physical abuse since her arrest. It’s very scary, she faces the death penalty, but she’s probably close to death as it is.

"On Thursday, my uncle in Pakistan made contact with her and he said she’s lost a lot of weight and she’s very weak."

Police claim Yasmin Kausar stood to benefit financially from her husband's death. (SWNS)
Police claim Yasmin Kausar stood to benefit financially from her husband's death. (SWNS)

She said claims that her mother stood to gain financially from the death of her husband were "rubbish", and claimed the police's allegations didn't "add up".

"It must be the quickest a murder has ever been solved in history," she said. "It just doesn’t add up.

"We just want justice for Mr Farooq and we want justice for my mum. We can’t get justice for one without the other.

"We want them to solve the murder and we want our mum home safe."

Bradford West MP Naz Shah has also written to the Prime Minister of Pakistan to raise concerns about the case.