Faisalabad couple attacked for marrying of choice 10 years ago

A man was killed and his wife and son injured after unidentified men opened fire at them at their house in Faisalabad on Wednesday.

The police said that the couple married of their own choice in Hangu 10 years earlier and moved to Faisalabad. They had two children together.

The man, identified as Sher Abbas, died on the spot, while his wife and son are currently being treated at the hospital. Doctors said they are in critical condition.

Their one-year-old daughter remained unharmed during the attack.

Mahboob Asif, who is investigating the case, said there are speculations that the family was attacked by Abbas’ relatives. We have formed a team to investigate the case, he said.

Around a thousand Pakistani women are murdered in honour killings each year — in which the victim, normally a woman, is killed by a relative for bringing shame on the family.

Perpetrators have often walked free because of a legal loophole that allowed them to seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.

But the government has since passed a law that mandates life imprisonment, even if the attacker escapes capital punishment through a relative’s pardon.

“Antiquated and lethal notions that ‘honour’ resides in women’s bodies and actions still prevail across Pakistan,” the country’s Human Rights Commission said in a statement.