KARACHI: A man shot dead his niece along with another man, allegedly in the name of honour, in Kandhkot town of Sindh on Saturday, it has been learnt.

According to police, a suspect named Hakim Ali killed his niece Rasheeda Chachar, 22, and her alleged lover Hafiz Ismail the name of honour in village Jeevan Chachar within the limits of Ghoraghat police station near Kandhkot town.

SHO Mir Hassan Ghoto told media that Hakim Ali killed the couple near the village mosque and fled, taking the girl's body with him.

The girl's body was later found from nearby Babu Chachar village but the suspect is still on the run.

Police officials told media that an inquiry has been ordered in the case, however, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered.

The killing comes a week after popular social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was killed in Multan for 'honour', sending shock waves across the country and prompting widespread criticism of so-called honour killings.

Women rights activist and politicians called for renewed efforts to curb the menace that has plagued the country for decades.

Two days ago, a committee comprising lawmakers from both the lower and upper houses of the parliament unanimously approved two bills aimed at tackling honour killings and boosting rape convictions.

Under the new law, relatives of the victim would only be able to pardon the killer of capital punishment, but they would still face a mandatory life sentence of twelve-and-a-half years, a minister told AFP.

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