Newly-wed couple killed in latest case of honour killing in Pakistan
In the latest case of honour killing in Pakistan, a newly-wed couple was gunned down for contracting a love marriage in the country's Punjab province, police said on Friday
Lahore: In the latest case of honour killing in Pakistan, a newly-wed couple was gunned down for contracting a love marriage in the country’s Punjab province, police said on Friday.
The incident took place on Thursday in Bahawalnagar, around 400 km from Lahore.
Police said Tayyaba Fatima, 21, wanted to marry her cousin Naeem Abbas, but her family was against her choice. The family objected that Naeem was a divorcee with a girl child.
“However, a couple of months ago, Fatima eloped with Abbas and they contracted court marriage. The couple started living in another village of Bahawalnagar after the marriage,” the police said.
On Thursday, six people, including Fatima’s father and two brothers, who got to know about the couple’s whereabouts, reached their residence and opened fire.
The couple was killed on the spot while Abbas’ minor daughter from his first wife was injured, police said.
Raids were underway to arrest the suspects.
Human Rights activists estimate that around 1,000 women are murdered annually in Pakistan in honour killings.
When the cases against the killer fathers, brothers, sons or other close relatives of the murdered women are filed in the courts, usually their close relatives and the plaintiffs forgive them and, thus, they escape the punishment.
