Shot twice and thrown in a canal by her own
family for marrying the man she loved. 18-year-old
Saba Maqsood was attacked and shot by her
father, uncle, brother and aunt. Then tossed
into a waterway in Pakistan - but somehow
managed to survive.
Left wounded in her cheek and her right hand,
Saba is said to have married her neighbour
five days ago for love, against the wishes
of her family.
They took her to a nearby district under false
pretences, hinting at a reconciliation, but
shot her twice and threw her into the canal
after putting her in a sack, presuming she
was dead.
After bringing me there, they shot me. I was
hit in the cheek by the first shot, and in
the hand by the next one. They thought I had
died, but I was not dead. I was slightly conscious,
but alive. They put me into a sack, tied up
the mouth of the sack, and threw it into the
canal. They thought I was dead, but I was
not.
Her relatives then fled the scene and after
minutes in the water, Saba regained consciousness
and struggled to the bank where passers-by
helped her.
This comes just a week-and-a-half after the
broad daylight 'honour killing' of Farzana
Iqbal - who was stoned to death by her family.
According to Pakistani rights group the Aurat
Foundation, around 1,000 Pakistani women are
killed every year by their families in honour
killings. Campaigners say few cases come to
court, and those that do can take years to
be heard. Those that do result in a conviction
may end with the killers walking free, as
Pakistani law allows a victim's family to
forgive their killer.
