Bridal burial

The tragic absurdity of a newlywed woman committing suicide right after her family bids her off with immense hopes and dreams of a happy future is not uncommon in Pakistan. Recently, a woman named Ayesha who had just gotten married four and a half months prior allegedly committed suicide by hanging in the bathroom of her new home. Her husband's family was unable to provide a convincing motive and the clearance of the entire crime scene before the arrival of the police marks this incident as deeply suspicious.

Cases like Ayesha's are not isolated anomalies. They unfortunately seem to be part of a larger pattern of under-investigated and often disregarded cases of crimes against women. While only a proper investigation can take to the truth of the matter, in such cases these investigations often taper off without producing substantial results that could corroborate the families' stories. Suicides also frequently remain unregistered and when they do get registered, they are frequently filed as accidents or natural causes with the support of families on both sides due to social incentives. The bride's family fears the stigma of a daughter who died possibly due to conflict with her husband. And the husband's family fears criminal liability. Caught between these two sides are truth and justice, both of which are often neglected.

This is precisely why this case must not be allowed to fade away from the public's eye. A thorough, transparent and independent investigation into Ayesha's death will not merely be for the sake of justice for one person but rather it will set an important precedent. The state must take these unusual deaths seriously instead of letting them remain as 'family matters'. Pakistan has laws that protect women against wrongful deaths so the only failure possible is of will, not legislation.