Man kills sister over ‘honour’

LAHORE: A mother of six was shot dead by her brother in Shahdara Town police precinct on Sunday.

The Shahdara Town police duty officer said Yasmeen (33), a resident of Rasul Park was married to Imtiaz.

The police said Yasmeen’s brother Amanat, suspected that she had developed “illicit relations” with some men. He said Amanat had threatened her with dire consequences. Late on Saturday night, Amanat saw Yasmeen along with a stranger in front of her house and they exchanged harsh words. Amanat pulled out his gun and fired at Yasmeen, killing her on the spot. Amanat fled from the scene. No report has been filed till the filing of this report

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.