Farzana Parveen was stoned to death outside a courthouse in Lahore [REUTERS]Farzana Parveen, 25, was killed by nearly 20 members of her own family outside a courthouse in Lahore, Pakistan, in broad daylight – and they say they have no regrets.
Ms Parveen was on her way to court to contest an abduction case her family had filed against her husband.
The 25-year-old married Mohammad Iqbal, 45, against her family's wishes after being engaged to him for years, said police officer Naseem Butt.
Ms Parveen's father, Mohammad Azeem, had filed an abduction case against her husband, which the couple was contesting, said her lawyer, Mustafa Kharal, adding that she was three months pregnant.
As she arrived at the court, however, nearly 20 members of Ms Parveen's extended family were waiting, including her father and brothers.
As the couple walked towards the court gate, the group fired shots in the air and tried to snatch Ms Parveen, her lawyer said.
When she resisted, the group began to beat her, before eventually pelting her with bricks from a nearby construction site, according to her husband and lawyer.
Mr Iqbal said that he and Ms Parveen had begun their relationship after the death of his first wife, with whom he had five children.
The attack was carried out in broad daylight [REUTERS]The most shameful and worrying thing is that this woman was killed outside a courthouse
He told the Associated Press that her family had wanted to extract money from him before marrying her off and insisted: "We were in love.
"I simply took her to court and registered a marriage."
This infuriated her family.
Ms Parveen's father was arrested on murder charges straight afterwards, police investigator Rana Mujahid said, adding that police were working to apprehend all those who participated in this "heinous crime."
Mr Azeem, who called his daughter's murder an "honour killing" surrendered immediately, according to police.
Mr Mujahid quoted the dead woman's father as saying: "I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it."
Mohammad Iqbal sits with his pregnant wife's body [AP]Ms Parveen's body has been released to her husband for burial.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a private group, said in a report last month that some 869 women were murdered in so-called honour killings in 2013.
But this horrifying incident has shocked even specialists in the area.
Zia Awan, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, said: "I have not heard of any such case in which a woman was stoned to death, and the most shameful and worrying thing is that this woman was killed outside a courthouse."
He added that poor police work or faulty prosecution often mean those responsible often avoid heavy sentences or even escape prosecution.
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