Honour killing: Woman shot dead by in-laws in Naushahro Feroze

Reports suggest Suraya Shar, wife of Shakeel, was allegedly gunned down in Pathan Colony, by her brothers-in-law


Ppi March 12, 2016
PHOTO: AFP

NAUSHERO FEROZ: A young woman was allegedly killed by her in-laws allegedly for ‘honour’ in Padidan Town of Sindh's Naushahro Feroze district on Friday.

According to reports, Suraya Shar, wife of Shakeel, was allegedly gunned down in Pathan Colony, by her brothers-in-law.

The body of the victim was shifted a local medical facility for postmortem examination and legal formalities.

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Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the incident and search operations are being carried out to arrest the alleged perpetrators.

Women in Pakistan have fought for their rights for decades, in a country where honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.

A loophole in the country's law allows the perpetrators of so-called honour killings to get off scot-free if they are pardoned by their family.

Weeks ago, Punjab — Pakistan’s most populous province — passed laws protecting women’s rights and taking violence against women seriously.

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The Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Bill, which has 31 clauses, provides a system for complaint registration as well as penalties for offenders. Under the law, a family court would fix hearing within seven days from receipt of the complaint. The defendant will have to show cause in court in the same week. All complaints would be decided within 90 days from the day of the receipt.

The law provides that victims of domestic violence cannot be evicted from their homes without their consent. If they are evicted, the court can intervene. A protection order may also be granted to the aggrieved, directing the defendant to not communicate with her and to maintain distance determined by the court and surrender all licensed weapons.

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Penalties include six months imprisonment or R500, 000 fine for obstructing the district woman protection officer from performing her duties. Violation of interim, protection, monetary or residence orders or illegally interfering with the GPS tracker could result in imprisonment up to one year or impositions of a Rs200,000 fine. Repeat offenders may attract double the imprisonment and the fine. However, filing of false complaints may lead to imprisonment up to three months or Rs100,000 fine. A universal toll-free helpline will be set up to contact the protection centres and shelter homes.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13th, 2016.

COMMENTS (2)

Raja | 8 years ago | Reply Honor killing is not an Islamic practice. It's a legacy from Hindu culture. Think before you commit it.
Parvez | 8 years ago | Reply We have laws....but we have no justice.
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