PAKISTAN'S chief justice has agreed to transfer the murder case of Bradford bride Samia Shahid to another city after prosecutors raised fears of witness intimidation.

The decision was made earlier today at the country's High Court and it has been hailed as a "huge forwards step" in the fight for justice for Samia.

She died on July 20 last year while visiting family in Pakistan after receiving a phone call claiming her father was critically ill.

Her former husband from an arranged marriage and her father were charged with her murder and her ex-husband was also charged with raping her before her death.

Bradford West MP Naz Shah has just returned from Pakistan where she met with the former Home Secretary Chaudhry Nisar, still a significant figure in the current government.

"He took a personal interest in the case and he took responsibility for raising concerns with the Chief Justice as well.

"The prosecution in the case had huge concerns about witness intimidation if it was to remain in Jehlum [the area in the Punjab where she died]. This is a hugely successful move for the prosecution now in getting the justice they seek," said Ms Shah.

There has so far been no confirmation where the case will be transferred to, although Lahore is understood to be a possible location.

"I'm really pleased to see that Pakistan is taking this case seriously," Ms Shah added.

The MP had demanded that authorities in Pakistan exhumed Samia's body and commission an independent autopsy. The 28-year-old beautician from Ms Shah's constituency had been buried in the graveyard of the village where her family lived.

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Samia married her second husband Mukhtar Kazam in Leeds in 2014 after getting divorced and moved with him to Dubai.

Mr Kazam claimed his wife was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage. He also wanted to get the case moved out of Jehlum.

Initially it was said that Samia died of a heart attack and that there had been no visible signs on her body, but on August 14 last year Pakistani police said Shakeel had confessed to strangling her.

Her father Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid, who was held as a suspected accessory, has been released on bail.

Samia Shahid's mother and sister, who are still in the UK, have an outstanding warrant in Pakistan for questioning.

Two weeks ago, the station house officer of Mangla police station in Jehlum was dismissed after being investigated for obstructing justice during the investigation and letting people involved in the case go, despite clear instructions.