Honour Killing in Pakistan’s Punjab province: Young woman burned alive by her husband

Saba Iqbal
Age: 19
Burned alive: July 28, 2024
Residence: Bahawalnagar, Punjab
Origin: Pakistan
Perpetrator: Husband Ali Raza

On Sunday, July 28, in Bahawalnagar, a medium-sized city some 400 kilometers from Lahore in Pakistan, 19-year-old Saba Iqbal was burned alive after being horribly tortured by her husband, Ali Raza.

The couple had been married for eight months, and shortly after the marriage, Ali began abusing Saba, accusing her of having affairs with other men.

To his in-laws, Ali allegedly admitted to burning Saba alive, having previously lied to them by telling them that Saba had left the house after an argument and had been missing ever since.

Police arrested Ali and believe he killed his wife because of "honour." The police stated that Ali's sister and brother-in-law were also involved in the murder.

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.