‘Honour’ killing

In yet another case of ‘honour’ killing, a young woman was axed to death by her maternal grandfather in Karachi. She had married of her own free will in Jamshoro, Sindh a year ago and was brought back home by the suspect before being brutally killed. During the same week, a free-will couple was shot dead in the Manghopir area of Karachi in the name of so-called honour. What exactly is so honourable about killing a female family member if she chooses to exercise her right of free will? How long will women have to suffer such horrific fates at the hands of their male family members? According to the Human Rights Watch, almost 1,000 women are murdered in Pakistan in the name of ‘honour’ each year. Following the murder of social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch in 2016, the law was revised to categorise honour killings as crimes against humanity. As a result of this amendment, the police have begun to register these cases under Sections 302 and 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code. However, the killings have continued unabated and have only increased in the years since.

The state has failed in its duty to protect the women of this country. It has failed to change mindsets and do away with the parallel justice system of jirgas and panchayats. It has failed to ensure equal rights for half of its population. One can attribute the lack of education, feudal structure and traditional mindsets as the cause for such horrible crimes, but the stark reality is that women are not looked upon as equal members of society with the same rights as men and are oftentimes regarded as a commodity that can be traded to settle disputes or made an example of to protect ‘honour’. The authorities must go beyond imposing the harshest penalties on these murderers. They need to send a strong message to society that such barbaric practices do not preserve family honour but instead reveal a deeply outdated and criminal mindset.