Mohammad Iqbal sits next to his wife Farzana's body, who was killed by family members, in an ambulance outside of a morgue in Lahore
Mohammad Iqbal sits next to his wife Farzana's body, who was killed by family members, in an ambulance outside of a morgue in LahoreReuters

The husband of the pregnant woman stoned to death in broad day light outside a court in Lahore, has said that police were present during the time of the incident, but they simply stood by as his wife was brutally murdered by the mob.

In the incident, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, nearly 20 members of Farzana's family, including her father and brothers, attacked her and her husband Mohammad Iqbal with batons and bricks.

The death has been dubbed as "honour killing" as she had married the man she loved without the consent of her family, police said, according to Reuters.

Police have reported that Farzana, who was three months pregnant, was killed in the attack, with a group of onlookers doing nothing to save her.

In a shocking revelation Wednesday, Iqbal -- the husband of the woman who was killed -- said that even the Police were among those who stood by watching the broad daylight brutality.

"We were shouting for help, but nobody listened. One of my relatives took off his clothes to capture police attention but they didn't intervene," he told in an interview with BBC.

"They watched Farzana being killed and did nothing."

The woman was waiting for the High Court in Lahore to open, when a group of around 12 men began attacking her with bricks and batons, said Umer Cheema, a senior police officer.

Farzana's father, two brothers and former fiancé were among the attackers. Having sustained severe head injuries, she was taken to a nearby hospital by a passersby but was declared dead on arrival.

Her father admitted to the police of having killed his daughter, and explained that it was a matter of honour. Many Pakistani families are of the view that a woman marrying a man of her choice, without the consent of her parents or elders, brings dishonour to the family.

Iqbal said on Wednesday that not only are the attackers of Farzana walking free, they have also threatened him and his family.

"Yesterday they said they would snatch the dead body," he said. "We came here with a police escort".

Police have only Farzana's father since he admitted killing his daughter as a matter of honour.

Farzana had reportedly been engaged to her cousin but decided to marry Iqbal – much to the dismay of her family members. After her family registered a kidnap case against Iqbal, Farzana came to the court to argue that she married him on free will, and that she was not kidnapped as alleged.

Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan in the so-called honour killings, usually carried out by relatives for eloping, or by husbands or elders for other 'crimes', such as adultery or illicit sexual behaviour.