ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's foreign ministry says the country welcomes the Oscar for best documentary short subject, saying the film about honor killings by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a source of "national pride."

Adviser Syed Tariq Fatemi says in a Monday statement that the film, "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness," promotes women's rights and draws attention to socially challenging issues.

It explores the practice of honor killings, where fathers, husbands and brothers kill their wives, daughters or sisters for shaming them, accusing them of "stealing" their honor.

It's the second Oscar for Obaid Chinoy. Her first documentary, "Saving Face," about women victims of acid attacks, won an Oscar in 2012.

Pakistani rights groups say there are about 1,000 honor killings every year and that the killers are rarely punished.