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In another case of 'honour killing', a Pakistani woman was shot dead by her brother in front of dozens of witnesses in a packed Hyderabad courtroom over the weekend. Twenty-two-year-old Raheela Sehto's brother, Javed Iqbal Shaikh, a lawyer by profession, lunged at Raheela and shot her at point blank on the left side of the head, reports The Guardian. The victim's family, who was so irked by her marriage to Zulfiqar Sehto, that it had filed a complaint with the local police, stating that her 30-year-old husband, a life-long neighbour, had kidnapped Raheela. Earlier, Raheela's uncle had also tried to strangle her with a scarf during an appearance at the high court in Hyderabad in July. The killer managed to evade security checks, as he was one of the country's hostile lawyers, known to assault policemen violently. "Everyone is very shocked by this because it happened in an educated family. Normally, honour killings happen in the rural areas where people are not educated," said the police officer. Shaikh, who is in police custody, said: "I lost my mind. I did that in rage because she had dishonoured the family." Four other family members who accompanied him in court have also been charged for the killing. According to her husband, Raheela eloped with Sehto only after her father attempted to marry her off to a Shaikh from Punjab whom she did not know. "All I want is justice, I want the court to convict Javed and his accomplices with the death penalty," Sehto said. 'Honour killings' by families who believe their daughters have disgraced them are increasingly common in Pakistan . But the killing of Raheela marks an alarming new low, the paper said.

Pak woman shot dead in court by brother for 'dishonouring' family