Samia Shahid death: Ex-husband admits Pakistan 'honour killing'

Samia Shahid was strangled with a scarf, according to her former husband's confession

The former husband of a woman allegedly murdered in Pakistan has confessed to killing her, a police source has told the BBC.

Samia Shahid, 28, a beautician from Bradford, died last month in northern Punjab in what is believed to have been a so-called honour killing.

Ex-husband Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel was arrested on suspicion of murder.

He has now said he strangled Ms Shahid with a scarf, according to BBC Pakistan correspondent Shaimaa Khalil.

The beautician's father Chaudhry Mohammad Shahid has been held as an accessory to murder.

Ms Shahid's father (left) and former husband appeared in court at the weekend

Both appeared in court in Pakistan on Saturday and were remanded for four days.

Police had previously denied reports of Mr Shakeel's confession when he and Mr Shahid were arrested and brought to court.

Ms Shahid's relatives had initially claimed she died of a heart attack, but her husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazim, claims she was killed.

A post-mortem examination has since confirmed she died as a result of being strangled, police said.

Mr Kazam, who is Ms Shahid's second husband, believes his wife was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage.

In his confession, Mr Shakeel, who is also Ms Shahid's cousin, reportedly said he had demanded she leave her second husband and remarry him - which she refused to do.

Ms Shahid had filed for divorce and married her second husband in the UK.