Three women killed in K-P over 'honour'

Police say special team had been formed to arrest culprits

PESHAWAR: At least three women were killed in the name of honour in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over the last two days. These include a mother and a daughter who were gunned down and a pregnant woman who was shot dead reportedly by her husband.

The special branch of police said Kamil registered a case against Awal Sher, Badamsher, Rahatos and Muhammad Nabi who allegedly opened fire on 40-year-old Basmina and her 14-year-old daughter Shehla, killing them on the spot. Sher, the woman’s husband, and his accomplices managed to escape.



Locals said the father, Sher, believed Shehla had an extramarital affair with a man named Hasbihullah.

In a separate incident, a pregnant woman was gunned down allegedly by her husband in Dandai, Besham tehsil in Shangla on Friday.

Police officer Sardar Hussain said the accused, Naseeb, along with his brother, opened fire on his wife Minat Sajida.

The woman died on the spot, while a case was registered against Naseeb and his brother by the deceased’s brother, Sahibzada. The Dandai SHO Muhammad Afzal said a special team was formed to search for the culprits.

Earlier, social activists and politicians in Swat showed deep concern over the increasing cases of honour killings in the region and protested against such incidents.



According to an annual report prepared by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in 2016, around 1,100 women either committed suicide or were killed in the name of honour. An alarming number of them were from Swat.

Meanwhile, residents of Shangla say the number seems underestimated as many honour crimes are not even reported.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government approved an Anti-Rape Law (Criminal amendment Bill), 2016 which is expected to criminalise and curb crimes related to honour.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2016.