Punjab

Honour crime: Woman killed for refusing to divorce husband

A 21-year-old girl was murdered in Khanewal allegedly by her brother.

Rashid Ameer February 23, 2011

KHANEWAL: A 21-year-old girl was murdered in Khanewal on Monday allegedly by her brother because she had refused to give in to her family’s demand to divorce her husband.

Ismat Parveen, a resident of Kot Muhammad Hussain, was killed following her statement before a senior civil judge that she did not want to divorce Javed Ramzan, a neighbour she had wedded in a court a few months ago.

City police have arrested the accused, Nafees.

Parveen’s family had been opposed to the marriage and had earlier filed a kidnapping case against Ramazan with the City police station. SHO Riaz Luther said they had arrested three of Ramazan’s kin but later released them when both families reached a settlement through a panchayat. The panchayat, he said, decided that the girl be handed over to her parents so that the couple could be married ‘properly’.

A family member told The Express Tribune that the girl returned home when she was assured that she would be married to Javed. “When she returned, her parents pressured her to file a divorce case,” he said. He added that when she stated before the senior civil judge that she did not want a divorce, the family again insisted that she go with them and be married ‘properly’.

SHO Luther said they were committed to investigating the case fairly. He said one of the deceased’s relatives, an assistant sub inspector in Khanewal police, had tried hard to get the suspect released so that he could attend the funeral.

He said the ASI even requested the deputy superintendent of police but he refused to release the accused.

The SHO said he suspected that the family would move to withdraw the case. He said this happened frequently in ‘honour killings’. “They have lost a daughter. Why would they want to lose their son now?” he asked.

Parveen’s father, the complainant, refused to discuss the matter.

The SHO said that one way to ansure prosecution was for Ramazan or one of his family members to come forward and register complaint. He said Ramazan had instead gone into hiding since the murder.

An uncle of Ramazan told the Tribune that he had no knowledge of his whereabouts. On whether the family intended to pursue the case, he said only Ramzan could make a decision in that regard. He said the family had tried to claim the body but were prevented by the girl’s family. The body, he said, remained with the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital till Tuesday when her family finally claimed it and buried it.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2011.

COMMENTS (14)

Grace | 13 years ago | Reply @JM: I think you need to ask yourself why most people in the West are former Christians, secular Christians, Chritians in name only and atheists who no longer believe in the words of Church leaders. The simple reason is that people understand full well that most religion is hypocrisy. Sorry to say it but your explanation for the historical crimes of Christianity smacks of that hypocrisy. Ask the Church in whose name millions of people were exterminated in North America, South America, Africa and Austrailia. Colonialism and all of its evils including wanton killing of natives was often justified by the Church. As for the Crusades, you forget that Pope Urban himself sanactioned it as a way to stop European Kings and Monarchs from killing themselves. Instead he wanted them to kill others in the Middle East. More people have been killed in the name of religion that anything- especially in the name of Jesus and the Christian Church. This is fact. When you look up the Crusades, note how the European Crusaders wiped out every Jew, Christian and Muslim living in Jerusalem because they all looked foreign to them. You really believe that Christians have killed less? They have more people than all other faiths combined in the history of mankind. This is fact.

JM | 13 years ago | Reply Grace, i have to disagree with you. Athiesm has actually killed more people on the earth than any other time, and islam is a close second. Hitler endorsed and practiced eugenics, which is an athiestic science. Millions of people died under him. Then there was Stalin and Mao, both under communism, which declares there is no god...untold millions starved and butchered. Then there's the undocumented cases that probably boost that number higher. It's a fact, more people have died these past few generations then all the other wars combined. Most of which, under brutal athiestic dictators. Now, i want you to look at how many people have died in the passed hundred years due to Islam, and believe me they've been waging Jihad for a very LONG time. Anyone can point to the crusades, but what most people don't know is that it actually started due to muslim expansion! Ever hear of the moors? Ottomans? Muslims invaders :D Now, please compare Christian teachings with Islamic teachings, and tell me what exactly they have in common? You don't see christians going around beheading people, or blowing themselves up. In christianity, there are indeed hypocrits, but that just means they are human. The objective of a christian is to become less and less worldly, and to follow in Jesus teachings...and most importantly, depending on him soley for salvation. I am saddened by your decision to abandon the faith, if you need proof that God exists than merely look at bible prophecy. Doing research is like following the scientific theory. You can't just believe one source. You not only need to look at both sides, but also compare, observe, and take things with a grain of salt. It's called critical thinking. You can follow religion, and try to live by impossible standards, or you can follow jesus christ who saves people despite their lack of religiosity. It seems like maybe you have had a lot of misconception about God. Our personal walk has NOTHING to do with other people, but instead should strengthen our own relationship with the creator.

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Grace | 13 years ago | Reply @Hanna: When Europeans were killing Jews in the Spanish Inquisition or the Russian Pogroms or the Nazi Haulocast, many were told they were doing God's work by Church leaders. Look it up. Try to take in how many European Christians killed each other over the last 1000 years. It's convenient how you forget how many Protostants and Catholics have killed each other in God's name too! Onward Christian soldiers I suppose when it suits you to justify killing! Why can't you just be objective and say that extremists of any faith who kill in the name of religion are equally evil?

Grace | 13 years ago | Reply @Kyle: I think you forget that millions more people have been killed in the name of Christianity than any other religion on earth. Sadly most Christians have been killed by other Christians. Take a quick peak at any European history book to show you that killings by other faiths pales in comparison to killings by Christians. By the way, I'm Christian but now atheist for the very reason that the Christian Church ( all denominations) are the most hypocritical.

rajesh | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Micheal, I cannot believe that some people like you who are so close minded as to believe in outmoded gender laws. We have to look at whether a woman was forced into marriage or not. It is not as if they have a choice. It is silly to waste away once education by mass producing babies at a time when the whole world should contemplate seriously on the need for marriage and children. Cant you live alone? Why do you need 100 kids to justify your existence on this planet? Most people marry because they feel insecure. Most people have kids,again,because of this feeling of insecurity.They just want to perpetuate their generation. Be Modern and think of what can be done in todays context. My logic is if you want something do it, if you don't want then don't do it. I think that logic is being violated in pakistan. Now I hope you understand

Realist | 13 years ago | Reply @ Hanna Wow, somebody needs to polish up on her religious studies.

SARA | 13 years ago | Reply @ Hanna...dear first try to search Islamic points and values by yourself dont only go with the media...the respect and equal value which Islam has given to women, can't be found anywhere. Do criticism but with some proves and knowledge. Its the men's society which are doing wrong acts and giving them name as Islamic law, but its WRONG.do some working first. even in Christianity there's some values of women but again men society who only treats them as toys.

Hanna | 13 years ago | Reply "There is nothing Islamic about woman abuse in Muslim countries and there is nothing Christian about women abuse in Europe or North America." Wrong. There is EVERYTHING Islamic about the abuse of women in Muslim countries. The religion sanctions and condones it; it is the Islamic code of behavior. It IS Sharia law. Violence against women in the U.S. and Europe is equally as hideous, it is just not considered pious behavior in Christianity.

Kyle | 13 years ago | Reply there is nothing Christian about women abuse in Europe or North America That sentence should stand by itself. It is true. The Holy Bible commands "Thou Shalt Not Murder". One who engages in murder displays a distinct separation of self from Christianity. The same cannot be said of a muslim who has engaged in murder. The muslim holy texts condone murder in various situations. Murder may be known the world over across all geographies. But as far as religions go -- this infidel feels safer with a Christian in my blind spot than a muslim.

Michael Sittnick | 13 years ago | Reply @abdul moiz: This was a horrific crime. But your line about "who waste away their education by being reduced to just being baby producing factories wasting their lives away at home." is offensive and wrong. First of all being a mother, even of a large family, does not make one a "baby producing factory." Traditional Catholics, Orthodox and Jewish Faiths as well as secular greats like Theodore Roosevelt recognized the dignity and importance of being a mother. In your statement, you described education as being wasted. True education is never a waste; it edifies the person. Why is it only considered a waste if it goes to a woman whose primary vocation is raising a family? Brooke Shields went to Princeton, and shows no eveidence of using her expensive and elite education in her "career." No one says it was a waste for her to have done so. In the first part of the statement, you assert that women have say over very important decisions in their lives, such as whom to marry. There you speak well. But then you show disdain for one of the choices for which women are uniquely qualified. This woman was brutally murdered by her wicked family. It has nothing to do with education or large families.

Estragon | 13 years ago | Reply Not all crimes, Maria and Sabeen ~ just those condoned under Shariah law, which comes from where, again? Fair enough?

Sabeen Masood | 13 years ago | Reply @abdul moiz: Right. Let all the crimes in Pakistan be a blemish on ISLAM and ISLAMIC REPUBLIC. And all the crimes in west must be linked to criminals only. I really do not get your point about giving emphasis on Islam. But hats off to your thoughts!

Maria | 13 years ago | Reply There is nothing Islamic about woman abuse in Muslim countries and there is nothing Christian about women abuse in Europe or North America. It's just wrong anywhere in the world. Men have to change their thinking. In Europe or the US, it's not uncommon to hear of obsessed men killing a wife or former girlfriend after stalking them. Despite court orders restricting visits and setting restrictions on how close a man can be to his former partner he is stalking, some crazy men still attack women. This is why the world should put more emphasis on publicising World Women's day

abdul moiz | 13 years ago | Reply Just another day in the ISLAMIC republic of pakistan. why dont the men in our society get this simple thing that a woman has the right to choose her husband.her father,brothers,uncles or cousins have no right to impose their chosen man on the girl forcefully. This mentality of keeping women under your foot to prove you are a man has led us to a society of MBBS & MBA housewives who waste away their education by being reduced to just being baby producing factories wasting their lives away at home.

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