Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy launches petition to end honour killings

Filmmaker says petition will be sent to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who has pledged to eradicate honour killings

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has launched a petition to end honour killings in Pakistan.

“This petition will be sent to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who has pledged to eradicate honour killing in Pakistan,” Sharmeen writes in the petition on change.org.



Change.org/ Sharmeen Obaid

Sharmeen, whose documentary, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness has been nominated in the Best Documentary – Short subject category for the 88th Academy Awards, aims to collect 5000 signatures. So far, her petition has amassed 354 supporters.

The Oscar-winner filmmaker urged everyone to “please sign this petition so we may send it forward and push for tighter legislation on honuor killings in Pakistan.”

https://twitter.com/sharmeenochinoy/status/689508872206315520

“The time is right for all of us to pool our various resources and to voice a united front! There is no time for party politics - we urge everyone to support this cause and push their elected MNA to bring this bill back in Parliament,” she further writes.

“We, the undersigned, urge all stakeholders to pass the Anti-Honor Killings Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2014 in the Parliament, making sure all honor killings perpetrators are convicted and jailed,” she adds.



Previously, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had congratulated Sharmeen for the Academy Award nomination.

According to a statement, the premier said the theme of nominated film revolves around honour killings, which afflict several segments of Pakistani society, adding Chinoy’s insights could prove very useful in this connection.

He also expressed the government’s commitment to rid Pakistan of the evil of honour killings by implementing appropriate legislation. Meanwhile, the prime minister invited Sharmeen to the PM House for the first screening of her Oscar-nominated film, a statement said.

Sharmeen has previously won the Academy Award for her documentary Saving Face at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in 2012, Pakistan’s first Oscar.