LAHORE: A man in Vehari district allegedly killed his two sisters in the name of "honour" for marrying the persons of their choice, police sources told Dawn on Saturday.

"Nasir Hussain killed his two sisters, Ghazala and Kausar for marrying outside their caste and later fled the area," said Station House Office (SHO) Mitro police station Mehar Riaz.

The police officer said that the victims' father Atta Muhammad Bhatti registered a First Information Report (FIR) in Mitro police station against his son Nasir Hussain for killing Ghazala, 22, and Kausar, 20, days before their formal wedding ceremony.

“The brother shot dead both the sisters yesterday and fled the site,” the officer said, adding that a search was underway. “It is a simple case of killing for honour.”

Father of the family Atta Mohammad told reporters that Hussain had “destroyed everything”.

“He ruined my family, he destroyed us, he destroyed everything” Mohammad said.

The perpetrators of so-called honour killings — in which the victim, normally a woman, is killed by a relative — often walk free because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.

The killing comes weeks after popular social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was killed in Multan for 'honour', sending shock waves across the country, 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.

On July 21, 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.