A Pakistani taxi driver in Canada has been charged with the murder of his teenage daughter allegedly for her refusal to wear a veil and her wish to live life like other Canadian girls.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, 57-year-old Muhammad Parvez was on Wednesday denied bail by a Brampton court.
He appeared unemotional during his brief court appearance in court on Wednesday where he was ordered not to communicate with his 26-year-old son Waqas Parvez, who has also been arrested.
The police have charged Waqas with obstructing police in connection with his sister's death. He will appear in court Friday morning for a bail hearing.
The police charged the elder Parvez with murder after his 16-year-old daughter Aqsa died at a city hospital on Monday night after she was allegedly strangled by her father in a Toronto suburb. Earlier that night, a man called up the police to say he had killed his daughter.
Peel Regional Police Const. Wayne Patterson said investigators have yet to determine whether Parvez will face first-or second-degree murder charges.
A publication ban was imposed on the court proceedings, but Muhammad Parvez's lawyer Joseph Ciraco said outside court that the family is distraught.
"It's clearly a tragedy," he said. "You've got a sister that's gone and a father and brother in jail."
Ciraco added that Parvez has a heart condition and will have to see a doctor before his next court date, which will be on January 29 via video link.
Until then, Parvez will remain in police custody.
