Lahore, March 16 A Pakistani man killed his wife and five children on Monday, citing "honor" as the motive, in the Punjab province of the country, police said.
The incident took place in the early hours of the day in a village in the Sargodha district, about 200 km from Lahore.
According to a senior police officer, the suspect, Muhammad Yaseen, killed his 45-year-old wife, a 15-year-old daughter, and four sons, aged one to 12, suspecting that his wife had been having an affair with a man from a nearby village.
He also suspected that some of the children might not be his.
Yaseen was arrested and gave a statement to the police.
"After learning that my wife had been having an affair and was planning to run away with her lover, I decided to kill her and all my children, suspecting that some of them might not be mine," he was quoted as saying.
At midnight, Yaseen attacked his wife and children with an axe while they were sleeping, and killed them.
The suspect said he also tried to end his own life and was injured.
The police officer said the suspect's condition is stable, and a murder case has been registered against him.
According to human rights organizations, approximately 1,000 women are killed in Pakistan every year under the guise of "honor."
While reported cases are lower, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says the practice persists, with families murdering women to restore perceived reputation, often despite legal reforms intended to curb the violence.