Pakistani police announced on April 26th that they recorded two domestic violence incidents in the country’s Punjab district, raising concerns over increasing victims of “honor killings” in the country.
The first incident happened in Chichawatni, 209 kilometers away from Lahore, where a man named Tariq burned his estranged 40-year-old wife, Shazia, on April 25th. Police officer Ejaz Aslam reported that Shazia left her husband because of increasing differences over domestic issues and decided to return to her parent’s home.
#Honourkilling in #Pakistan: Man burns wife alive in #Punjab province https://t.co/CxrOgxTAsS
— The Tribune (@thetribunechd) April 26, 2023
According to Aslam, Tariq suspected that Shazia was in a relationship with a man in his area. He visited his in-laws, where he doused Shazia in gasoline before setting her on fire and leaving the area. Shazia was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Shazia left behind two daughters and four sons. After the incident, Pakistani authorities filed a case against Tariq and arrested him.
Although #HonourKillings take place all over the world, they have rather significantly & consistently occurred in various parts of the Middle East & South Asia, with nearly half of all #honorkilling occurring in India and Pakistan#honourkilling#genderbasedviolence#herstoryng pic.twitter.com/9IAzHzTzNe
— Her Story (@herstoryng_) March 20, 2023
In another incident in Pakistan’s Punjab province, two men threw acid on a married woman after raping her. The crime occurred in Okara, located 130 kilometers away from Lahore.
According to police officer Jahanzeb Wattoo, the main suspect, Rizwan, wanted to develop relations with the victim, 30-year-old Shahida Bibi, but she refused.
Rizwan and an accomplice then abducted Shahida at gunpoint before they brought her to a deserted place, where the two men raped the victim before throwing acid on her face.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where her condition is now stable and out of danger. Pakistani police filed a case against Rizwan and his accomplice.
Hundreds of women are murdered in different parts of Pakistan yearly in the name of “honor killing,” although men also fall victim to this brutal practice.
Pakistan’s human rights commission reported an average of 650 honor killings yearly over the past decade. But the actual figures could be much higher because many cases are unreported.
