A Pakistani man killed his HIV positive wife Wednesday in southern Pakistan, where hundreds of people have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks, stirring panic and casting a light on the country's dismal public health standards.

Police said the murder took place in a village near the epicentre of the outbreak on the outskirts of Larkana city in Pakistan's Sindh province, where thousands have been screened in the last month.

The victim - a 32-year-old mother of four - tested positive in recent days, according to a local police officer, with her husband accusing her of having an extramarital affair.

"This morning the husband strangled (the victim) with a rope and then hung her from a tree outside his home," Roshan Ali - a police officer in Shikarpur - told AFP, adding that the suspect was now in custody.

Shikarpur district police chief Sajid Sadozai confirmed the incident, saying an investigation into the killing was ongoing and the suspect had been booked on murder charges.