Sir: The veracity of the report about the murder of five girls in Kohistan is still in doubt. They were reportedly killed for singing and clapping at a wedding ceremony with two male companions. We are still living in a patriarchal society where women sometimes cannot even breathe of their own will due to a cultural suffocation and limited choices they face even after working hard all day long like machines. Their poor lives remain at the mercy of jirgas, which can accuse them of any immorality, any time. At the same time, it is encouraging to see various bills including the anti-harassment bill, being passed by the government, which gave a hope to these suppressed women to live with dignity and enjoy their fundamental rights. I request the Chief Justice of Pakistan to penalise these brutal people, otherwise the day is not far when these jirgas will be ruling over more people. AMIRULLAH KHAN ASTORI Karachi