Karachi: Two women brutally murdered in the name of 'honour'

In the first incident, a ruthless man in Orangi Town killed his 16-year-old sister for talking on a mobile phone. He grabbed a knife and attacked her mercilessly. The girl, identified as Sameera, died on the spot with profuse bleeding.

Eye witnesses say that Hayat, the accused, kept uttering ‘foul words’ against his sister even after stabbing her to death in front of everyone. Police later arrested the man and began further investigation.

In another such incident in old Muzaffarabad Colony, a girld named Mehr-un-Nisa was shot dead at her home. Police said the girl had tied a knot three years ago.

Read more: Honour killing: Husband and wife shot to death in Karachi

Initial probe suggested that girl’s family is involved in the murder, police official added.

The law enforcers are conducting raids to catch the culprits.

“A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”, a film by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy telling the story of a rare survivor, won the Academy Award for best documentary short at the star-studded Hollywood ceremony in February.

Related read: Man murders two sisters in latest ‘honour killings’: police

Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy had also met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently as speculation grew the film would win an Oscar, turning a global spotlight on honour killings in Pakistan.

Pakistan amended its criminal code in 2005 to prevent men who kill female relatives escaping punishment by pardoning themselves as an “heir” of the victim.

But it was left to a judge’s discretion to decide whether to impose a prison sentence when other relatives of the victim forgive the killer — a loophole which critics say remains exploited.

But PM Sharif has also vowed to eradicate the “evil” of honour killings in Pakistan.