A Pakistani man shot dead seven members of his family this morning in an apparent row over his daughter's choice of husband.
Mohammad Nawaz killed his wife, two sons, two daughters, a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law, Islamabad police assistant superintendent Javed Akbar told journalists.
"He fired 20 cartridges with his double-barrelled shotgun," Akbar said.
He summoned his family on the pretext of needing an operation, then gave them tranquilisers before killing them one by one with a pistol and a shotgun.
The killer told police that he was fed up with his family because of their "loose character."
He said his daughter eloped with a Christian boy and obtained a civil marriage about six months ago, even though she was engaged to someone else at the time.
"I had been waiting for an opportunity for their joint gathering because they had ruined my reputation," police quoted Nawaz, who recently retired as an interior ministry driver, as saying.
After the slaughter Nawaz called police, who found the victims lying in a pool of blood. They recovered a pistol and shotgun and arrested him.
Akbar said neighbours of the killer, who live in government employees' housing in the busy Sitara Market area, heard the gunshots but did not call police.
"This shows the indifference in our society," he said.
AFP