KARACHI: A couple who married with mutual consent was allegedly gunned down by the woman’s father in Machar Colony on Wednesday, in what the police described as a so-called ‘honour killing’

Docks police, in a statement, said that the male victim was gunned down while his wife was shot and injured by her father inside a home near Ayesha Masjid in Machar Colony.

The body and the injured woman were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi, and further investigation is underway, the statement added. However, the woman passed away during treatment, said Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed.

South-DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the couple had married of their own free will and had a four-month-old daughter. They had been living in a rented house in Machar Colony for the last five months.

During the initial probe, it emerged that the deceased woman had phoned her father three days ago, Raza said. The father was living with her.

The couple was asleep when the suspect gunned down his son-in-law and injured his daughter and then fled the scene.

The police collected four spent bullet casings from the crime scene, the DIG said.

Earlier in December, a woman and her teenage daughter were stabbed to death over “honour” in the Gizri area of Karachi.

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.