Three people including a woman and a child were shot dead when gunmen barged into their house after jumping a wall and opened fire on them in the jurisdiction of Rustam Police Station in Mardan. Police sources said that the incident occurred in the locality of Taja Banda area of Mardan. Police further said that all the dead persons which included a woman, an infant child and her father-in-law were killed due to “honour”.

According to first information report (FIR), the dead woman married Shahi Malik on her own choice two years ago. Rustam Police after registering a case of triple murder started investigation. Human rights groups say the most common reasons for "honour killings" are that the victim may have refused to enter into an arranged marriage or have been raped or sexually assaulted.

But killings can be carried out for more trivial reasons, like dressing in a way deemed inappropriate or displaying behaviour seen as disobedient. In Pakistan, hundreds of women are killed in this way each year. A much smaller number of men are murdered in such cases.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)