Pakistan’s first “honour” killing of the year

LAHORE: The first honour killing of 2008 took place in Kahna early Tuesday morning. Unidentified assailant(s) shot dead a couple that eloped.

Kahna police said Muhammad Nadeem (25) from Kasur had an affair with Nasreen (22) from Dhoop Sari village in Kahna. The couple’s families did not agree to their marriage and they ran away and married in secret.

They did not inform their families about their whereabouts and started living in a rented house in Nawab Shakoor Town, Kahna. Their neighbours heard gunshots early Tuesday morning and informed the police. The police found the couple’s bodies in their bedroom.

The police said there were no witnesses. Investigators believe the girl’s family had the couple killed.

The police have sent the bodies for autopsy and are investigating after registering a case on the complaint of Nadeem’s brother, Saleem.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.