Woman kills two minor daughters to save them from prostitution

A woman in Pakistan's Punjab province has allegedly killed her two minor daughters fearing that her husband would force them into prostitution when they grow up.

Balqees Bibi, in her 30s, also attempted suicide after forcing her daughters - Ishrat (4) and Muqaddas (2) to consume poison yesterday, police said.

While she survived, her daughters were pronounced dead by doctors at District Headquarters Hospital Layyah, some 350 kilometres from Lahore.

The accused, a resident of Paharpur village, recorded her statement with police saying her husband, Muhammad Amin, was a drug addict and earned nothing to feed the family."He had been forcing me into prostitution to meet daily expenses," she said, adding he often tortured her over the issue.

"Yesterday after a quarrel with Amin I made my daughters drink poison. I also took the poisonous liquid," she said, adding she had no regret as had her daughters been alive, their father would have pushed them into prostitution one day.

The couple also has a six-year-old son, Amir, who was at school at the time of the incident.Police have registered a case against Balqees and her husband.