'I murdered my first wife to marry my second –

The husband of a pregnant Pakistani woman who was stoned and
beaten to death outside a courthouse in Lahore has said he murdered
his first wife – a claim that has delivered another twist to a story that
has shocked the country.
Farzana Parveen was murdered on Tuesday by more than two dozen
attackers, including her brother and father, for marrying against her
family’s will. Now Ms Parveen’s husband, Mohammad Iqbal, 45, has
admitted he strangled his first wife so that he could marry again.
“I was in love with Farzana and killed my first wife because of this
love,” he told the AFP news agency in a phone call. Mr Iqbal said he
was spared a prison term because his son, who alerted police to the
murder, later forgave him under Pakistan’s controversial blood-money
laws. Having made the confession, Mr Iqbal reportedly switched off
his phone.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, demanded to know why
police apparently stood by while Ms Parveen was killed. Mr Iqbal told
Reuters that police did nothing during the 15 minutes the violence
lasted. “I begged them to help us but they said, this is not our duty.”
Police deny this and said the girl was dead when they got the scene