Newlyweds Tied Up And Killed By Bride's Family

A 17-year-old girl and her husband have been tied up and had their throats slit shortly after they married for love, according to police in Pakistan.

Muafia Bibi and her partner Sajjad Ahmed, 30, were killed in a village which is part of Daska town in Punjab province, police officer Asghar Ali said.

He added that the girl's grandfather, parents and two uncles are accused of killing them with a butcher's knife, and that all five have been apprehended.

The couple married earlier this month and Mr Ali said the family had lured them home by saying they accepted the marriage.

The family said they had been embarrassed by the marriage of their daughter to a man from a less important tribe, police were quoted as saying.

District police chief Gohar Nafees said they admitted killing the couple in the name of honour.

Cultural traditions in many areas of Pakistan mean that killing a woman whose behaviour is seen as immodest is widely accepted.

A woman marrying a man of her own choice is considered an unacceptable insult to many families.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, some 869 so-called "honour killings" were reported in the media last year.

The true figure is probably much higher since many cases are not reported.

Under Pakistani law, the woman's family are able to forgive the killer even if they are convicted.

Many families nominate a member to do the killing and then formally forgive the killer.

In May, Farzana Iqbal, who was three months pregnant, was stoned to death outside a court in the eastern city of Lahore by family members for marrying the man of her choice.