The murder of two Pakistani-Spanish sisters was being investigated as a "honour killing," a violent patriarchal practise in which women are executed for bringing "shame" to their family.
Aneesa Abbas, 24, and Arooj Abbas, 21, were killed in the eastern city of Gujrat, according to police. This is the latest in a long line of honour killings.
According to AFP, both women were seeking porce from their Pakistani husbands and were brought back to Gujrat from Spain on Friday night, where they were strangled and shot.
"The family made up a tale to persuade them to visit Pakistan for a few days," Gujrat police spokesman Nauman Hassan explained.
"Preliminary findings indicate that this is an honour killing case, but the inquiry is still underway," he added.
According to police, the women's husbands — who were also cousins — were "pressuring" them to help them emigrate to Spain. Seven of the sisters' relatives are currently on the run for murder.
On Saturday, the Spanish embassy in Pakistan could not be reached for comment.
Large swaths of Pakistani society still operate under stringent "honour" laws that severely limit women's rights.
The practise restricts access to education, reproductive rights, and the ability to choose who to marry. According to Pakistan's Human Rights Commission, around 450 honour killings occurred last year.
Men are occasionally targeted, but women constitute the majority of victims, and many incidents are believed to go undetected.
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