Mother kills pregnant daughter in name of 'honour' in Pakistan

New Delhi, June 17: A mother slit open the throat of her 22-year-old pregnant daughter in Pakistan's Punjab province, the latest in a series of gruesome "honour killing" that have sparked national outrage.

Muqadas, a resident of Butranwali, Gujranwala, some 80 kms from Lahore, contracted love marriage with Taufeeq of her locality against the will of her family some three years ago, a police official said.

Superintendent of Police (civil lines) Nadeem Khokhar said that the family of Muqadas was not happy with her as the victim married Taufeeq after eloping with him.

"Amna, mother of Muqadas, recently contacted her and told her that the family had pardoned her. She invited the couple to her house.

However, yesterday when the 8-month pregnant Muqadas was present at a clinic in her locality for a check-up Amna reached there and took her to her house," he said.

Khokhar said initial reports are suggesting that Amna with the help of her husband Arshad and son Adil tortured Muqadas severely before she slit open her throat with a knife.

"However we are recording the statements of Muqadas' relatives about the incident and probing the matter from all aspects," he said. Khokhar said a murder case has been registered against six people including mother, father and brother of the victim.

He said Arshad has been arrested while raids are underway to arrest the remaining suspects. Shafique, brother-in-law of Muqadas, told police that initially Muqadas family had pardoned her for marrying a man of her choice.

"But later it decided to kill her. It is learnt that her parents pledged to kill her for earning bad name for the family," he said. Last week Zeenat, 18, was burnt alive by her mother in Lahore for marrying a man of her own choice.

A couple in Lahore and a young Christian girl were killed by their family members for contracting marriage against their (families will). An Islamic religious body in Pakistan this week dubbed the killing of women in the name of "honour" as un-Islamic.

At least 40 clerics of the Barelvi school of thought on June 12 issued a fatwa against honour killing, declaring it 'un-Islamic and unpardonable sin'. The clerics under the banner of Sunni Itehad Council (SIC) said that honour killing is kufr (infidelity).

At least 1,100 women were killed in the name of honour in Pakistan last year by their relatives on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour.

PTI