Pakistan woman survives shooting after marriage dispute

An 18-year old Pakistani woman has survived being shot by her family after she married her neighbour, police say.

Saba Maqsood was allegedly shot by her father, brother and uncle before being thrown into a canal.

She was saved by passers-by in the town of Hafizabad in Punjab province.

It follows the killing of Farzana Parveen by her family in Lahore last week. Hundreds of women and girls are killed by family members in Pakistan each year in disputes over “honour”.

“It is an honour-related incident”, police official Ali Akbar told Reuters.

“They took her to Hafizabad, shot her twice and threw her in the canal after putting her in a sack, presuming that she was dead,” he said.

Police said that she had survived with injuries to her cheek and hand but was unconscious when she was thrown into the water.

Authorities later raided her father’s home in the nearby city of Gujranwala but all the suspects had disappeared.

She had married her neighbour five days ago against the wishes of her family, police said.

Farzana Parveen was killed by her relatives last week because she married against their wishes.

Arranged marriages are widespread in Pakistan and to marry against the wishes of the family is unthinkable in many deeply conservative communities.

‘Honour’ killings in Pakistan

• In 2013, 869 women murdered in so called “honour killings”

• Campaigners say real number is likely to be much higher

• Of these, 359 were so called “Karo Kari” cases, whereby family members consider themselves authorised to kill offending relatives to restore honour

• Rights groups say conviction rate in cases of sexual and other violence against women is “critically low”

Source: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan annual report 2013
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