Honour killing: 3 women in a family shot dead in Pakistan by male relatives

3 young women of the same family were shot dead on Wednesday, May 11 by male relatives who suspected them of having relations with men. The women, aged 22, 28, and 29, all lived in the same house.

According to police, the women Zahara, Farzana and her step-mother Nasreen — residents of Chak 92 Rb in Faisalabad district - were found dead by residents after they heard gunshots in the morning. Three men had fled the scene before the neighbours arrived.

"The men suspected that the three women had illicit relations with other men and shot them in the chest and face and fled after the murders," said police investigator Mohammed Ayub.

The police said initial investigations revealed that Farzana’s husband Wahid alias Baga, Zahara’s husband Saqib and his brother had exchanged harsh words with the women before the incident. The neighbours confirmed that the family members had an argument before they heard the gunshots. According to local residents, the husband was not happy with his wife and daughter.

A murder case has been registered against the three suspects at Balochni police station on the complaint of Zahra’s father. The police are conducting raids in different parts of the city to arrest the suspects.

Nearly 1,100 women were killed in Pakistan in 2015 by their relatives, who believed they had dishonoured their families, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a report released in April.

Pakistan amended its criminal code in 2005 to prevent men who kill female relatives escaping punishment by pardoning themselves as an "heir" of the victim. But it is left to a judge's discretion to decide whether to impose a prison sentence when other relatives of the victim forgive the killer- a loophole that critics say is still exploited.

Source:Newsweek Pakistan