Honour killings in Punjab, Pakistan: Man kills sister and her boyfriend with axe

Zaitoon Bibi and Fayyaz Hussain
Ages: 20, 20
Killed: November 21, 2023
Residence: Alipur tehsil, Muzaffarnagar district, Punjab
Origin: Pakistan
Children: none
Perpetrator: her brother Mulazim Hussain (22)

A man in Alipur tehsil, Muzaffarnagar district, in Pakistan's Punjab province killed his 20-year-old sister Zaitoon Bibi and her 20-year-old boyfriend Fayyaz Hussain with an axe on Tuesday, November 21. 22-year-old Mulazim Hussain suspected that his sister and the man were having an affair. Mulazim followed his sister to Fayyaz's residence and attacked them with an axe, resulting in their immediate deaths. He surrendered to police and confessed to killing his sister and her boyfriend because their relationship would be a disgrace to the family honor.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.