Honour Killing: Man Burns Wife Alive in Pak’s Punjab

Lahore: A man allegedly burned his estranged wife alive in a suspected “honour killing,” while another woman in Pakistan’s Punjab region was attacked with acid after being raped.

In the first incident, suspect Tariq allegedly set his 40-year-old wife Shazia ablaze on Tuesday in the Cheechawatni area, about 209 kilometres from Lahore, for what he claimed was “disgracing the family’s honour.”

Shazia moved in with her parents’ home a year ago after she and Tariq fell out over domestic matters, police officer Ejaz Aslam informed. Aslam claimed that Tariq visited his in-laws on Tuesday, doused Shazia with fuel, set her ablaze and then fled because he believed she was having an affair with a man from his neighbourhood.

She was rushed to a local hospital, where she was declared brought dead. She has left behind two daughters and four sons.

In a separate incident, two guys raped a married woman in the Okara area, around 130 km from Lahore, and then threw acid on her.

Shahida Bibi, 30, rejected attempts by the main suspect Rizwan to date her, according to police officer Jahanzeb Wattoo. She was then kidnapped by Rizwan and his accomplice on Tuesday while she was returning home, and they raped her in a remote area. Later, one of the suspects threw acid at her face.

The woman was rushed to the hospital, where it is said that her status is stable. A case has been filed by the police against the suspects.

In various regions of Pakistan, hundreds of women are murdered each year in the name of honour.

Over the previous ten years, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has documented 650 honour killings annually on average. However, as the majority go unreported, the actual figure is probably far higher.