Punjab police arrest father who shot newborn daughter 5 times

A father accused of killing his week-old daughter by shooting her five times because he wanted his firstborn to be a boy has been arrested, Punjab police said on Thursday.

In the deeply patriarchal country, a son is often believed to offer better financial security to parents than daughters, and girls and women face widespread violence.

Newborn Jannat Fatima was killed on Sunday in the city of Mianwali, in central Punjab province, sparking a manhunt for her father Shahzeb Khan, who was arrested on Wednesday night following a series of raids, according to Punjab police.

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"The police were told by the complainants that the killer had been complaining for three or four days that he had wanted a son and he had been very angry," Zarrar Khan, spokesperson for Mianwali police told AFP.

"His wife also confirmed that he was angry about having a daughter and wanted a son."

The incident came almost a month after a pregnant woman was brought to a hospital with a nail hammered into her head after a faith healer said it would guarantee she gave birth to a boy.

The mother of three daughters said she was pregnant with another girl.