Justice Minister Marta Cartabia on Thursday signed two extradition requests to Pakistan for the parents of Saman Abbas, a Pakistani-Italian woman who has been missing since the end of April and is believed to have been murdered by her family after refusing an arranged marriage.
The parents of the 18-year-old are fugitives form justice and are believed to be hiding out in their native country.
The requests follow the arrest in Paris Wednesday of one of Saman's uncles who is believed to have strangled her to death at the family home at Novellara near Reggio Emilia in a so-called honour killing.
The uncle, Danish Hasnain, is one of five members of the woman's family who are under investigation over the alleged murder.
The Pakistani man was detained on the outskirts of Paris under a European arrest warrant. He was tracked down with the help of Carabinieri police investigators based in Reggio Emilia.
Saman Abbas disappeared after reportedly rebelling against demands she have an arranged marriage in Pakistan.
The woman's parents and one of her cousins fled from Italy after she went missing and are fugitives from justice.
The parents, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, went to Pakistan on May 1.
Another cousin, Ikram Ijaz, was arrested in relation to the case in France in May and is in jail in Italy.
Investigators think Hasnain, 33, is the man who actually killed Saman. The woman's younger brother told prosecutors that he thought Hasnain strangled the woman to death.
Police said they would now compare the uncle's and cousin's versions of events.
Saman's mother reportedly lured her home from the shelter she had taken refuge in with a deceptive text message that said the family would respect her wishes.
According to the Gazzetta di Reggio, Saman's mother sent her a text saying "please get in touch, come home. We are dying. Come back, we'll do as you say".
Saman went home on April 22, a week before she disappeared. Her body has yet to be found.
The Italian Union of Islamic Communities (UCOII) has expressed horror at the case and banned Muslims in Italy from forcing their children into arranged marriages.
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