THE family of a woman shot dead in Pakistan have spoken for the first time of their shock.
Nafees Fatima, 55, of Lenton, was gunned down in a remote village near the city of Samundri, Faisalabad District, while visiting relatives.
Mrs Fatima's son, Amer Ali, 33, said: "I got a phone call from a relative in the area who said something had happened.
"They eventually said 'look, your mum is no longer here'. It took an hour and a half before I realised that my mum had passed away.
"We were all just devastated – we were in a state of shock."
Amer, of Lenton, had travelled with his mother and other relatives to the village of Ghar Fateh Shah at the end of December for a family wedding
Nafees and her husband Liaqat were born in Pakistan but moved to Nottingham 40 years ago and hold British citizenship.
Amer and most of the group returned to Nottingham in early January but Nafees and a handful of other relatives, including Amer's brother Mudassar, stayed behind to deal with family business.
It was when Mudassar, 31, called Amer on January 6 that the full horror of what had happened that day emerged.
Liaqat travelled straight to Pakistan to arrange his wife's burial, which was held in the village on January 8.
Amer said: "Once my mum was buried, it was a feeling of 'at least she's not suffering'.
"Now there's a feeling of 'how could this happen?' I just can't believe that someone took my mum's life away."
He said Mudassar told him a gunman entered the front room of a house where Nafees was talking with other relatives and shot her in the chest with a shotgun, then fled.
Nafees's daughter Shazia Ali, 35, also of Lenton, said: "My mum was a well-respected and well-known woman in the Lenton community, who was friendly and approachable and would go out of her way to help others.
"We have been overwhelmed with the support we've received from family and friends. An investigation is ongoing and we are seeking justice."
The shooting is believed to be related to a family feud.
The Post agreed not to report the incident until now because of safety concerns for other family members who were also in the area but have now returned to the UK.
One man is in custody in Pakistan after being arrested in connection with the killing.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the death of British national Nafees Fatima in the area of Ghar Fateh Shah, near Faisalabad, on January 6, and are providing consular assistance."