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A young couple murdered in Pakistan barely a week after they had married for love were killed as a warning to other girls not to marry without the permission of their parents, according to witnesses.
Residents of Satrah, Punjab, said relatives of the bride slit their throats and forced children to watch as they bled to death.
A string of similar murders has provoked revulsion around the world and promises of action inside Pakistan. But the nature of the latest deaths is savage even by the warped yardstick of the countrys grisly honour killings.
Local police said they had arrested five people in connection with the murder of Sajjad Ahmed, 31, and Muafia Bibi, 17, including the brides father and grandfather.
Muhammad Pervaiz, the local police chief, said: It is a case of honour killing. The couple were not beheaded but were killed with the knives and had severe signs of torture on their heads.
Satrah is close to the city of Sialkot in an area known for its conservative customs and where women have little value beyond their worth as a bride.
Residents said relatives of Mrs Bibi had told the couple they supported the marriage and invited them to the town, where they were drugged.
Muhammad Ijaz, who runs a mobile phone shop, said: Their legs and arms were tied while their mouths were gagged with pieces of cloth. The father of the girl announced loudly that he was going to slit the throat of her daughter and her husband.
A crowd gathered as they were brought to the courtyard of the family house. Someone said the children should be sent away but Mrs Bibis father told them to stay and watch, said Mr Ijaz
He said they should learn what would happen to them if they married someone of their own choice, he explained, adding many in the town where 15 girls had eloped in the past year - supported the murders.
Honour killings are nothing new in Pakistan. Hundreds go unnoticed every year, written off as domestic accidents or suicides.
