Honour Killing: Pakistan man burns 2 daughters and their 4 children alive after one of them 'married for love'

Pakistan police is searching for a man who set alight his two daughters and their four children alive in another case of honour killing in the country.

The victims, Fauzia Bibi, 19, and Khurshid Mai, 35, lived with their children in a village in the Muzaffargarh district of central Pakistan. Their father, Manzoor Hussain, allegedly set fire to the house on Sunday, killing the sisters, the children, and Mai's 65-year-old husband. Mai had three children, aged two, six, and 13, while Bibi had a four-month-old son.

According to officials, Hussain committed the crime because Fauzia had married Mehboob Ahmad about 18 months ago against her father's will in a love marriage, as opposed to an arranged marriage. Police officer Abdul Majeed said, "The incident is outcome of the rivalry between the two families over the love marriage."

Bibi's husband Ahmad who was not at home at the time of the fire, told police that his father-in-law and brother-in-law were unhappy with their marriage and they set his home ablaze in a rage. As per a report in Dawn, he said in his statement to officers, "I was in Multan for business. When I returned and was near my home, I saw it in flames."

Hussain, who is believed to live in a nearby village, is absconding since the crime. A case has been registered at the Civil Lines Police Station against him as well as his brother Sabir Hussain, who was allegedly an accomplice.

Police said they are investigating the cause of the fire and why none of the women or children were able to escape when the fire started. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressed grief on the loss of lives in the incident and ordered an inquiry into the blaze "from every aspect."

Honour killings, known locally in Pakistan as karo-kari, are the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. Pakistan has the highest number of documented and estimated honour killings per capita of any country in the world; accounting for about one-fifth of the world's honour killings.