ALLAH says in QURAN “...
Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all
mankind...” (Quran: 5.32). There are many verses in Quran which stress us to
treat esteem with women. The charter of any religion is not in the favor of
honor killing. According to the report of United Nation, five thousand women
every year becomes victim of honor killing. The report reveals that one thousand
cases occur in India and five hundred in Pakistan every year. Pakistan where 95
% people belong to from Islam and India where 80 % belong to from Hindu religion
depicts that there is no link between religion and heinous crime honor killing.
Thousands of women in Pakistan are murdered by their relatives in 2015 only on
the pretext of defending family honor. However Islam and other religions
strictly forbid the aggressive behavior upon women.
Honor killing termed with different name in different province of Pakistan, it
is known as kala kali in Punjab, karo kari in sindh , Tora Tora in NWFP and
sayah Kari in Baluchistan. Honor killing is basically a crime, and until we
don’t able to set some parameter to punish any crime, we can’t get significant
consequences. Because when someone commit any crime then he or she must deserve
the punishment for the prevention of generating more crimes in society, The
story behind the scene relate to from honor killing mostly based on illegal
physical relation with other or the person don’t obey their family leader on the
matter of enforced marriage. Every person has a right to choose their life
partner to their own will without any distinction in male and female. Islam also
allows marrying with their own wishes regarding some rules mentioned in Holy
Book. Unfortunately there are many cracks in our law to handle this matter, as
many people are benefiting to involving them in other criminal activities
through these loophole. Bases of heinous crime rely upon uneducated society,
followers of outdated tradition, revenge of elders, vested interest and many
others. Some time both male and female killed by both household mutual
understanding and some time only girl becomes victim. Killer take the law in own
hand and prefer to by their own family court being headed by their
elders. In Pakistan many of them were killed by husband, brother or father. The
murder of Qandeel baloch by his own brother, A 19-year-old school teacher from
Murree, who was tortured and set on fire after refusing a marriage proposal ,
are the recent example of honor killing. Many other crimes have been generated
under the name of honor killing. Some time personal revenge between two families
and some time they personally motivate girls to commit the crime, then they
demand for huge money or threat them to kill in the name of honor.
Law and order play very vital role to increase or decrease the ratio of any
crime, Many of the people don’t approach to the police station due to their
resources and bundle of money to follow the long term and delayed justice system
in Pakistan. Some of them have resources but their tribal leader threat to their
life. I personally know one man, who belongs to from Gohtki, Sindh. His
household was considered very rich among all other family. The girl were
motivated to loud the voice against boy for alleging fornication. After alleging
girl, some elders from girl side demand of huge money to pardon him for mock
rape case and threaten to not approaching to police. The tribal leader compelled
the boy to pay otherwise he will be killed on the base of so called honor
killing. The boy approached the police but eventually killed on the pretext of
honor, such incidents have shaken the whole society and they reveal that we are
moving towards social and societal degradation.
Honour killings are supposed to be as ordinary murder, but in practice, police
and prosecutors often ignore it. Government should implement proper legislation
in order to curb such crimes, and declare it as heinous acts followed by severe
punishment, such as burning or killing of woman as an unpardonable crime as it
is the responsibility of government to protect every human in the country.
Pakistan Ulema Council had also declared murder of women or girls in the name of
‘honor’ as un-Islamic.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2004, which came into force in 2005, added a
specific offence of “honour crime” committed “on the pretext of karo kari, siyah
kari or similar other customs or practices” in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC),
1860. Pakistan amended its criminal code in 2005 to prevent men who kill female
relatives escaping punishment by pardoning themselves as an “heir” of the
victim.
Many times bill presented in senate and assembly but could not pass due to
political consensus. As in February 2014 the upper house of Pakistani Parliament
passed the Anti-Honor Killing Laws Amendment) Bill 2014 tabled in the senate by
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sughra Imam. Pakistan's lower and upper
houses approved the anti-honor killing bill on July 21, 2016.First introduced
and passed in the Senate in March 2015, the bill had failed to enjoy political
consensus and wasn't approved by the National Assembly, a necessary step for it
to become law. But the joint sitting was delayed amid political bickering
between the government and opposition. Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid
said “under the new law relatives of the victim would only be able to pardon the
killer of capital punishment, but they would still face a mandatory life
sentence of twelve-and-a-half years.”
Media should also play their role to air the voice against honor killing
Recently one documentary film named as "A Girl in the River: The Price of
Forgiveness” produced by Sharmeen Obiad Chinnoy won the Academy Award for best
documentary short in February based on anti Honor killing. The most hopeful
thing about this film is that it started a national discourse in Pakistan about
honor killings ─ something we desperately needed to have.