28 Jun 2013

Three women slain in 'honour killings'

12:02 pm on 28 June 2013

Police in a remote region of northern Pakistan say three women have been shot dead by a male relative who appears to have believed they brought shame on their family.

The mother and her two daughters were reportedly killed by her stepson who had seen a family video on a mobile phone in which the woman's daughters were shown laughing.

He appears to have considered the footage an assault on the family's honour.

The BBC reports honour killings are common in northern Pakistan where women are seldom seen by men other than their relatives.

The incident took place in Gilgit Baltistan, a mountainous region.

A BBC correspondent said five young women and two men were reported killed in the same region last year after footage emerged of them singing and dancing together at a wedding.

The killings were said to have been ordered by a tribal Jirga (council).