LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) -- A woman who intended to run in Pakistan's local elections was allegedly killed by her husband because he objected to her candidacy, police said Monday.
Nazia Mumtaz was stabbed to death Friday and her husband, Munir, has since disappeared, police said. He has been charged with murder, they said.
The English-language newspaper Dawn reported that Mumtaz's husband allegedly killed her after she refused to withdraw her nomination for election in Bhalwal, 72 miles northwest of Lahore, the capital of Punjab state.
Police confirmed that the candidacy may have been the reason for the slaying and that they were also looking into a rivalry between Mumtaz and her husband's first wife as a possible motive. They gave no further details.
Pakistan's military government has scheduled local elections throughout Pakistan beginning Dec. 31 and continuing until July.
In an attempt to bring women and Pakistan's majority poor people into politics the military allocated 33 percent of all seats on local district and municipal councils to women. An equal number have been allocated to the poor.
According to the army the reason is to reduce the grip of the powerful on Pakistani politics.
However, in Pakistan's male-dominated society, many women, particularly in rural regions, are not allowed to travel freely and are often the victims of violence.
Human rights organizations say that the majority of women in Pakistan are subject to violence at home.
