A man allegedly gunned down three people, including a child, for ‘honour’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Dir district, police said on Monday.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Zaman Shah told Dawn.com, “A man, a woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed by her husband in a suspected ‘honour’ killing incident in the Dadband area of Upper Dir.”

He said that the suspect allegedly killed a man who was said to be a herbalist and used to visit houses for treatment in the area.

He said, “[The suspect] was said to be mentally ill and worked as a labourer in Islamabad,” adding that he had come to the village a few days earlier and left his wife and daughter at home with his uncle.

The official added that initial information revealed that the herbalist went to the uncle’s home where the incident occurred.

“The suspect shot dead the herbalist with a pistol outside the house and then he went inside, killing his wife and daughter,” Shah said, adding that the police launched an investigation into the matter.

Shah also said that ‘honour’ killing cases had soared in recent years, but no one lodged a complaint with the police in most cases.

“The state is the one lodging a first information report (FIR) but the suspects often get relief from the court,” he added.

In Pakistan, honour killings continued to claim the lives of women throughout 2024, perpetuated by deeply ingrained societal beliefs about family dignity and shame.

Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) shows that in 2024, ‘honour’ killings continued to be a serious issue across Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab. From January to November, a total of 346 people fell victim to ‘honour’ crimes in the country.

Last month, a woman and her 16-month-old daughter were allegedly gunned down by her relative for ‘honour’ in KP’s Mansehra. In an FIR, the victim’s mother-in-law said that the motive behind the double murder was that her son had married the woman.