Pakistan woman survives 'honour killing': Saba Maqsood shot twice and thrown in canal

Saba Maqsood was left for dead in a canal after marrying her neighbour against her family's wishes

Saba Maqsood was attacked and shot by her father, uncle, brother and aunt and thrown into the waterway in the city of Hafizabad in Punjab province

An 18-year-old woman in Pakistan has survived being shot and thrown into a canal by her family for marrying for love, just weeks after Farzana Parveen was stoned to death by her family in a so-called honour killing that drew worldwide condemnation.

Ali Akbar, a local police official, said Saba Maqsood was attacked and shot by her father, uncle, brother and aunt and thrown into the waterway in the city of Hafizabad in Punjab province.

Police said she has survived injuries to her cheek and hand but was unconscious when she was thrown into the water. She quickly regained consciousness, however, and managed to crawl to the bank, where two passers-by helped her.

"It is an honour-related incident," Mr Akbar told Reuters. He said Ms Maqsood had married her neighbour five days before against the wishes of her family.

“They [her family] took her to Hafizabad, shot her twice and threw her in the canal after putting her in a sack, presuming that she was dead.

"She is a brave girl. She came out of the canal and approached a nearby fuel station from where a rescue team rushed her to hospital," he said.

Authorities raided her father’s home in the nearby city of Gujranwala but said all of the suspects had disappeared, Mr Akbar added.

In May, Ms Parveen was killed by her relatives because she married a man against their wishes. She was attacked in broad daylight in Lahore before a crowd of onlookers by 20 members of her family. Her father surrendered after the incident and called the murder an "honour killing", according to police.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a private group, said in a report last month that some 869 women were murdered in honour killings in 2013. The real number may be far higher, as in many cases the family will not step forward and protect the victim.