Girl, 4, Dies As Angry Mob Sets 10 Houses On Fire In Pakistan

A four-year-old girl died in the Southern Sindh province of Pakistan when an angry mob set at least 10 houses on fire after a woman and her sister from one community were kidnapped by a group of men belonging to a rival community, in yet another incident of 'honour' crime, police said on Monday.

The houses were set on fire in Rohri on Sunday after the sisters belonging to the Chauhan community were allegedly kidnapped by the men from Panhwar community.

"A group of around 10-12 armed men attacked and torched at least 10 houses in Sham Kaladi village near Rohri on Sunday and a four-year-old girl who got trapped inside a house was killed," a senior police official said.

According to details, the woman from the Chauhan community fell in love and intended to contract a freewill marriage with a youth belonging to the Panhwar community. As she left her house along with her sister, the affected family complained to the community elders and claimed that the two sisters had been abducted by some Panhwar men.

Amid unrest over the incident, a group of enraged men attacked the houses of the Panhwar community and ransacked them while resorting to aerial firing. More than 10 of the houses were torched.

The police rushed to the village but found that the attackers had already left the area.

Police in Pakistan arrested six people in Punjab province on Sunday for allegedly murdering two Pakistani-origin Spanish sisters in another case of "honour killing", a brutal patriarchal practice prevalent in the country.

Honour killings and disputes are frighteningly regular in Pakistan, especially in areas close to the tribal regions in the north and west. Swathes of Pakistani society still operate according to strict codes of "honour" that radically undermine women's rights.

According to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an average of 1,170 “honour killings” take place in Pakistan every year and a total of 128 women were killed in the name of “honour” in the southern Sindh province in 2021.

In the past, women have been shot, stabbed, stoned, set alight and strangled for the charge of tainting their family's "honour".

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