Upsurge in honour crimes alarms MPs

ISLAMABAD: An upsurge in honour crimes and use of abusive language against women overshadowed the budget debate in the National Assembly on Friday as women MPs pointed to an unchecked uptick in crimes against women in the country.

PTI’s chief whip Dr Shireen Mazari, who has been pleading her case for the last three days, criticised JUI-F Senator Hafiz Hamdullah for using abusive language against rights campaigner Marvi Sirmed during a TV talk show.



Dr Mazari is still waiting for an apology from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif who had jeered at her calling her ‘tractor trolley’ for her unusual voice during the house proceedings on Wednesday. Though Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had expunged Asif’s sexist remarks, the minister refused to apologise directly to Dr Mazari.

The PTI chief whip said incidents of violence and hatred against women were rising at an alarming pace in Pakistan. “Parliament should take notice of such incidents,” she added. “I want to register my protest over what Senator Hamdullah did to Marvi Sirmed.”

On the other hand, JUI-F MP Aasia Nasir raised the issue of honour killing of women and urged parliament to legislate on the matter to check such crimes.

PPP’s Dr Nafisa Shah, who had not only supported Dr Mazari but also kept the issue alive by boycotting the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, lamented three recent incidents in which girls were burnt alive to ‘save family honour’.

“Why is this house silent on this situation? I demand that this house adopt a resolution against such crimes,” she said while asking parliament to make stringent laws to curb crimes against women. “Unfortunately, the law of the jungle prevails in the country.”

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq endorsed the views and expressed disappointment over the recent incidents of honour killings, saying that the house should play its role.

Ali Muhammad Khan from the PTI, the party which is all set to take to streets over the Panamagate scandal, asked lawmakers to get over their petty differences and work for the supremacy of parliament.

Khan warned against the repercussions of infighting among politicians. “Politicians are accountable to people, but if an army general comes in, nobody will be able to ask him a question,” he said, triggering applause from treasury and opposition legislators alike. “All politicians are not corrupt, please stop defaming them.”



Speaking on the federal budget, Khan said the government should follow the economic policies given in the Holy Quran. “The interest-based economic system is tantamount to declaring war against Allah Almighty.”

Foreign loans have been piling, but the government is still boasting of development projects initiated with borrowed money, he added. “Our enemies are aiming at our nuclear assets. We should be careful while borrowing foreign loans.”

The house was later adjourned due to lack of quorum till Monday evening.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2016.