In yet another barbaric act of honour killing, four orphan sisters were killed by their uncle and cousins over a land and marriage dispute near Khushab city, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

The killings were reported from Nara Shumali village where the killers gunned down the girls and fled the scene, as police have filed a case but are unable to arrest the criminals.

These killings are still practised in Pakistan where “Zan, Zar, Zameen” [woman, money, land] is still the rule. And it is not limited to some specific area or region as the people are killed by close relatives over refusal to a marriage proposal or to grab the share in the inheritance.

It is considered an insult to the family honour among many people if girls or even boys prefer someone out of their family or clan or tribe.

The practice of marriage among cousins is basically based upon two aspects: to protect the family honour and ensure that the land remains within the family.

That’s why the incidents of honour killings are common as women aren’t supposed to get a share in inheritance to ensure their financial slavery and block the very possibility of any “rebellion” or independence.

The reports of women being killed by the family member/close relatives are common in our society.  In one of such recent incidents, a husband was axed to death and his wife injured as the in-laws attacked their house in the Dad Leghari area of Ghotki.

The couple had tied knot seven months against the wishes of the girl’s family members who – her brothers and other relatives – barged into their house and carried out the brutal act.

Similarly, a couple, who had resorted to court marriage after falling in love, were shot dead in the Nasir Colony area of Rawalpindi. The victims belonged to Kohat and Nowshera.

According to police, the double murder was carried out by the family member of the girl, Sidra, after inviting the couple to their home.

Meanwhile, the mode of killing a 20-year-old girl at Charah Kaliah within the Nilore Police Station’s precincts in Islamabad was also the same. The girl had married a boy – Ali, a resident of Aarrah – of her choice. As a result, she had been asked by her parents to visit but was later killed by them.