Father among 9 people arrested in Pakistan over suspected honor killing
Police said Sidra Bibi, 18, was killed on the orders of a local council of elders in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after she married a man of her choice.
Some of her relatives are alleged to have buried her body and flattened the land to erase evidence of a grave, police official Aftab Hussain said Monday. The victim was suffocated using a pillow placed over her face, he added.
The arrests came after authorities exhumed the body and carried out an autopsy, which confirmed she had been tortured before being killed.
The case has drawn widespread condemnation in a country where honor killings are still common.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 405 women were killed in 2024 in such cases, compared with 226 in 2023.
'The actual number is believed to be higher due to underreporting,' said Sadia Bukhari, a member of the commission's council.
Honor killings, in which family members kill women for actions perceived as bringing shame to the family — such as choosing their spouse — have increased in recent years.
Earlier this month, police in in southwestern Balochistan province arrested 11 suspects after a video shared online appeared to show a young couple being fatally shot for marrying without their families' approval.
Police confirmed the authenticity of the footage, saying the killings happened in the Deghari district in the province of Balochistan.
In January, police arrested a Pakistani man suspected of killing his U.S.-born 15-year-old daughter for refusing to stop posting videos on TikTok, a platform with more than 54 million users in the country.
'These so-called honor killings reveal a deep-rooted mindset that views women as the property of men,' Bukhari said. 'Most women in Pakistan face discrimination from childhood through adulthood.'
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Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer contributed to this story from Multan, Pakistan.
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SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. 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