In the rugged terrains of Balochistan, a tragedy unfolded. A young woman and her former husband were brutally murdered in what was labeled as an “honor killing”, a phrase that itself masks the sheer brutality of the act. This was not just a personal crime, nor merely a tribal reaction. It was a reflection of systemic failure, a deeply rooted cultural violence that flourishes under the complacency of the state and society alike.
What makes such incidents persist isn’t just the act itself, but the broader atmosphere in which these acts are rationalised, explained away, or even silently endorsed. In Pakistan, the ideological landscape — whether religious, political or cultural — is fragmented, contradictory and dangerously unregulated. Narratives that shape minds are circulated without oversight or accountability. Religious texts, revolutionary slogans and nationalist rhetoric are all open to selective interpretation, often manipulated to serve deeply personal or regressive ends.
The result? A vacuum of coherence. In this vacuum, hate thrives. Misogyny thrives. Violence becomes virtue. Those who claim moral superiority use their interpretations of religion, tradition or culture not to elevate society but to suppress, control and punish, particularly women. And the tragedy lies not just in the existence of such narratives, but in the fact that the state whose job it is to cultivate an informed and humane citizenry remains either passive or indifferent.
This is not simply a social breakdown. It is a political failure. The state’s inaction in the face of such ideological anarchy is a form of culpability. A society that allows unchecked hate to fester cannot be excused as merely “culturally complex” or “traditionally bound”. When a woman is killed in the name of honour, it is not just a family’s failure but the failure of a republic that promised her protection under the law.
Honour killings are not anomalies but the result of unchecked extremist narratives, misuse and misinterpretation of religion as well as lack of critical education. True honour protects dignity, not suppresses it. Reforming religious discourse, alongside education and regulation, is essential.
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi
