Lahore: A 23-year-old woman was paraded in her village with her face blackened and head tonsured by her family members for allegedly eloping with a man, the latest in a series of ‘honour’ related crimes in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
According to eyewitnesses, her family members paraded her in the streets outside her house on Saturday after blackening her face and shaving off her head in Uch Sharif, Bahawalpur, 400 km from Lahore.
Reports said the woman, who had allegedly eloped with a man from another village, returned home a week later.
Upon her return, her family members including her father and step-mother reportedly tortured her secretly and then presented her before a Panchayat (a gathering of area elders) that announced punishment for bringing ‘dishonour to the family’.
Senior police officer Ehsan Sadiq told reporters that an FIR has been registered against 10 family members of the woman and the Panchayat members and arrested the victim’s father and step-mother.
He said police would soon arrest the remaining suspects and complete investigation at the earliest.
Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous state, has seen a spur in honour-related crimes, including honour killing, in recent times.
At least 1,100 women were killed in the name of honour in Pakistan last year by their relatives on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour.
