Honour killing disgrace

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Preventable killings in the name of honour continue to stain the conscience of Pakistan. Every year, hundreds of women — and occasionally men — are murdered by family members for allegedly bringing shame upon the household. The reasons vary: a choice in marriage, a rumour, a suspicion. But the outcome is always the same — life taken, justice delayed and society complicit.

The issue has returned to the throes of justice in a recent Sindh High Court ruling against a man who allegedly killed his wife for honour, where the bench sternly denounced honour killing as a barbaric and religiously indefensible act. Despite repeated condemnations, honour killings remain widespread, particularly in rural pockets of Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab.

These acts are often cloaked in the language of tradition and falsely attributed to religion — yet neither culture nor faith provides any justification. In fact, all major Islamic schools of thought regard such vigilantism as a grave sin. The SHC's ruling under study rightly referred to the practice as fasad fil arz — mischief on earth. What continues to fuel this impunity is not only outdated mindsets but also weak enforcement, informal out-of-court settlements and legal loopholes.

Although amendments have been made to Pakistan's criminal laws, including changes to prevent families from pardoning the killers, implementation remains patchy. Local power structures and political patronage continue to protect perpetrators.

The state must do more than pass judgment, and pursue justice with consistency and courage. That means cracking down on jirgas that endorse such killings and ensuring that each case is tried under the full weight of the law. Pakistan cannot hope to call itself a just or modern society while women's lives remain expendable at the altar of misplaced honour. It is time we as a nation declared —without hesitation — that there is no honour in murder. Only shame in silence.