A man in Lahore has been arrested after allegedly strangling his pregnant wife to death for using the Aurat March slogan, ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’ (my body, my choice), Friday Times reported.

The police have identified the man as Allah Dutta from the Shalimar area in Lahore. He reportedly became enraged after his 28-year-old wife used the phrase ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’, a popular slogan chanted during the Aurat March.

After the murder, the man reportedly tried to cover up his crime by trying to stage it as an accident. However, he confessed to his wife’s murder during police interrogation, according to Geo News.

The couple got married four years ago, and had four children.

Every year, the Aurat March faces backlash from religious quarters who view the movement as an affront to Islamic principles and female modesty.

This year, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Noorul Haq Qadri, wrote to Prime Minister Imran Khan, requesting him to ban the women’s march, as he claimed the event “ridicules, diminishes and minimises Islamic laws, social mores, decency, or purdah or hijab”.

This year, too, as in previous years, the Aurat March in both Islamabad and Lahore had to be curtailed early due to threats of violence from opposing factions, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) in Islamabad.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)