Pakistan honour killing: Pregnant woman and husband among 3 killed by family

Lahore: Three persons, including a heavily-pregnant woman and her husband have been killed for marrying without their family’s consent in two separate cases, the latest incidents of “honour killing” in Pakistan, days after another pregnant woman was killed by her mother.

In the first incident, Christian parents of a woman Nasreen Shahzadi, 25, allegedly stabbed her to death on Saturday for converting to Islam after marrying a Muslim man, Irfan Rehmani, in the country's eastern Punjab province’s Layyah district, some 350 kms from Lahore.

Her father Emanuel Masih talked to her over phone and told her that he and his wife had pardoned her, he said. “On Saturday, Shahzadi visited her parents but they stabbed her to death and dumped her body in a field,” the official said. A murder case was registered against the couple and their son but no arrests were made so far.

In a separate incident, Muhammad Shakil, 30, and his heavily-pregnant wife Aqsa, 26, were shot dead for “honour” by Aqsa’s brother who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia. The couple, who had married four years ago, were living Thikriwala village in the province. They were killed for marrying without the family’s consent. Four days ago, Aqsa’s brother along with their mother, maternal uncle and another accomplice barged into the couple’s home and beat them mercilessly. Then they took the couple to an unidentified location and shot them. The bodies were found in a canal on Thursday night. A report showed Aqsa was pregnant and was likely to deliver in about four days.

Two days ago, a 22-year-old pregnant woman was killed by her mother in Gujranwala for marrying against consent.