The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) demands that apart from taking suo motu notice of this case.
KARACHI: The most appalling aspect of the recent murder of teenager Sughra Brohi from Sanghar was not just her alleged live burial for the ‘crime’ of marrying of her free will. The more inhumane response is that such criminality is normalised through the illegal institutions of male-dominated jirgas, which posthumously negotiate for financial profit to be made across the murdered woman’s dead body. Sughra’s family is complicit in such deals following her murder and the current legal lapses allow such injustice even after a woman’s death.
The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) demands that apart from taking suo motu notice of this case, the state must expand its writ to stem this epidemic by: 1) making immediate and pre-emptive arrests of all members of jirgas wherever they are reportedly operating or, in cases when they are about to pass ‘judgments’; 2) empowering the police and local administration to do the first but simultaneously holding them accountable if jirgas are allowed to operate in their districts; 3) penalise those members of parliament found to be colluding with, condoning, ignoring or actively participating in jirgas; and 4) immediate repeal of the laws that allow men to get away with honour crimes through financial deals.
The WAF is embarrassed that members of parliament, particularly women legislators, are silent rather than spearheading such cases against the political party members who are responsible for the constituencies where the atrocities are taking place.
Women’s Action Forum
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2014.
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