The Minister of Information, Mushahid Hussein, said he thought that the Amnesty figures might be exaggerated.

However, he said the government is clear in its condemnation of all murder.

The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones: "Many people deny that honour killings are a widespread problem"

Murder in any name, he said, is reprehensible and should be punished under the law.

The Amnesty report called for legislative reforms to address the problem of honour killings and other domestic violence against women.

However, Mr Hussein said that the government is not considering legislation.

He said laws were already in place - it was just a question of ensuring that they are enforced.

Killings 'go unreported'

Amnesty International said in its report that hundreds of women die each year in Pakistan as a result of honour killings.

Women, for example, seeking to make their own decision about who they will marry can be accused of undermining family honour.

Also, women seeking divorce or women who have been raped can also at risk from male relatives who believe the family name has been brought into disrepute.

Amnesty says many of the killings go unreported and in almost all cases the perpetrators, who are often close family members, go unpunished.

Women also live in fear of torture and violence, their basic human rights ignored, says Amnesty.

Lenient judges

In some cases, murders are committed for other motives and dressed up as honour killings because the perpetrators believe the courts will take a lenient view.

Angelica Pathak, from Amnesty International: "It is high time these killings ended"

Pakistan jurists insist that, in law, killing someone for reasons of honour is not a mitigating circumstance.