"the outcome of the rivalry between the two families"
A Pakistani father has been accused of killing his family over a marriage feud.
Manzoor Hussain is believed to have set the shared home of his two daughters, Fauzia Bibi and Khurshid Mai, on fire.
His four grandchildren as well as Mai’s husband also died in the blaze in Alipur in the city of Muzaffargarh in Punjab, Pakistan.
The inferno came after Bibi married husband Mehboob Ahmad around 18 months ago against her father’s wishes.
Pakistani police official Abdul Majeed said: “The incident is the outcome of the rivalry between the two families over the love marriage.”
Ahmad said he returned home from work early one morning to find his home alight, according to his official police statement.
He added that his four-month-old son had perished in the fire as well as Mai’s three children, aged two, six and 13-years-old.
Hussain is currently being searched for in relation to the incident and is believed to live in a nearby village.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar issued a statement and expressed his grief at the lives lost in the tragedy.
Buzdar ordered an inquiry into the blaze “from every aspect”.
He also sought a report of the incident to establish the full circumstances surrounding it.
Fire service rescue chief Dr Hussain Mian said that the recovered bodies had been sent for autopsy and forensic examination.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident and to figure out why none of the family members woke up when the fire erupted.
The news comes just a month after Danish Hasnain was arrested on suspicion of killing his Italian-Pakistani niece.
Saman Abbas, aged 18, was last seen in late April 2021, near her family’s home in northern Italy.
Authorities say that her family had wanted her to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage last year, which she refused.
She had been living under the protection of social services when spotted and police believe she was tricked into returning home.
Although her body has not been found, Hasnain was detained under a European arrest warrant in France on Wednesday, September 22, 2021.
He was one of Abbas’ five relatives who are currently being investigated on suspicion of murder.
Hundreds of Pakistani women are killed by relatives every year for marrying without consent, or against their family’s wishes, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
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