20 villagers arrested over ‘honour’ rape

multan — Police said they have arrested 20 members of a village council over instructing a man to rape a 17-year-old girl to avenge the rape of his sister.

Such ‘honour crimes are still common in some rural Pakistani areas. The 17-year-old is the sister of the man who is suspected in the rape of a 13-year-old girl earlier this month.

Police chief Ahsan Younus said a search for both men, suspected of raping each other’s sisters, is under way.

A village council in 2002 ordered the so-called ‘honour’ gang rape of Mukhtar Mai, a young woman who took her rapists to court. The case gathered international prominence and she later opened a school for rural girls. —