#ViolenceAgainstWomen: Activists lay flowers at honour killing victim’s doorstep

Sumera’s brother had stabbed her last week for speaking to a stranger

KARACHI:

A week after Sumera, a 17-year-old resident of Orangi Town, was stabbed and left to bleed to death by her brother, Hayat Khan, women rights activists decided to pay homage to the slain girl by visiting her house on Tuesday.

A delegation of 10 women, belonging to non-governmental organisations such as Women's Action Forum, Strengthening Pakistan Organisation, Aurat Foundation and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, went to the victim's house in Orangi Town, only to find it locked. The activists, bearing placards condemning honour killings, laid wreathes of flowers at the doorstep of the house.

Hayat was taken into custody after the police registered a case against him on behalf of the state as the father of the slain girl had 'forgiven' his son. Hayat stabbed Sumera multiple times after beating her severely in their house in Fareed Colony, Orangi Town, the investigating officer of the case, SI Gulfaraz Awan, had told District West judicial magistrate Abdul Basit Kalhoro on Thursday.



The accused had also confessed to the crime in police custody, saying that he caught his sister talking to a boy at the doorstep of their house. He was inside his bedroom and as soon as he arrived at the door, the boy fled away.



Meanwhile, the female activists were told by the police that two to three cases of domestic violence and family disputes were reported every day at the area's police station.

Talking about their visit to the victim's house, Aurat Foundation resident director Mahnaz Rahman told The Express Tribune how surprised they were to see the neighbours' indifference over the incident. "We were surprised by the neighbours who said that the girl should not have been standing at the doorstep and talking to strangers," she said, adding that it was a conservative area, stricken with poverty and lack of education.

The activists added that they were shocked to hear that cases of domestic violence and family disputes were regularly being reported at the Mominabad police station, which covers the area where the girl was killed.

The road to justice

The anti-terrorism courts' administrative judge remanded on Monday Sumera's father and brother in police custody for 10 days in the case pertaining to the 'honour killing' of the teenage girl.

Inayat Khan and his son, Hayat Khan, were sent into police custody on physical remand as the investigating officer of the case contended that they needed to be interrogated.



Earlier, the police had only arrested Hayat. However, his father was also taken into custody after investigators found him involved, too. It is said that the suspected murderer and father have no regrets over the killing and they are justifying the act in the name of 'honour.'

The case was booked under section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Nevertheless, sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act have now been incorporated into it. The state itself has become the complainant in the case since no one from the family was willing to register a case with the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2016.