Medieval mindsets

The possible honour killing of a British-Pakistani woman has been in the news since late last month, when she was found dead in Pindori, Punjab, while visiting relatives. A member of parliament from her British constituency and the woman’s husband allege that she was murdered by relatives who disapproved of her second marriage. They maintain that she was lured to her village in Pakistan to be killed in the name of honour as her first marriage, to a first cousin, was unsuccessful. Her family initially insisted that she died of natural causes before her father changed tack and said that she may have committed suicide. A second post-mortem revealed bruise marks on the woman’s neck whereas the first report claimed that there was no evidence of brutality, leading credence to the view that there was initially an attempt to cover up a possible crime.

The only reason there was a second investigation is because the British MP from the victim’s constituency raised a hue and cry as her current husband in Dubai refused to accept the initial version of the story. Indeed, he was prudent not to trust the local authorities’ version without a proper investigation. The MP has written to the prime minister urging an impartial inquiry. The authorities here have an explanation to give, not only regarding how the woman came about her death but also as to any cover-up that was attempted initially. If there was a cover-up, which seems likely, it points to the acceptance that honour killings have in our society, with the police not averse to assisting perpetrators in getting away with committing heinous crimes. One other aspect that this event highlights is that many Pakistanis living in Britain have not broken out of the shackles of medieval practices. Stories of honour killings of British women have come up previously despite perpetrators living in much more socially advanced societies, with zero tolerance for such practices. This shows that mere legislation against honour killings may not be enough. What is also needed is a change in mindsets and societal rejection of such crimes. 

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

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