Daily Times

Honour killings, the brutal act of murdering individuals, predominantly women, in the name of preserving family honour and upholding societal norms, continue to plague Pakistan. This deeply disturbing issue is a reflection of the patriarchal society and chauvinistic norms that persist in the country. The murder of a woman on the premises of a court in Pakpattan, simply because she had the audacity to marry out of love, highlights the urgent need for change. Some unknown men decided she had taken a step one too daring, opened fire and disappeared without a trace. From the looks of it, law enforcement agencies might not be much bothered to conclude their investigations because the price of one human life, that too, a woman, that too, one who’s shameless, is not very high. Unfortunately, Pakistan is plagued by a staggering number of honour killings every year. According to Human Rights Watch, approximately 1,000 women fall victim to this heinous crime annually. Although women have been murdered for far less serious “crimes,” the case of Qandeel Baloch, a woman who challenged the deeply ingrained patriarchal norms of Pakistani society, carries significant importance because it sparked critical conversations and prompted reforms in the laws surrounding honour killings in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, honour killings have historically been treated differently from conventional murder in the eyes of the law. The courts often empathize with the accused, primarily men, considering their “affronted” honour as a mitigating circumstance that reduces the severity of their punishment, allowing for relative impunity for honour killers. The recent years may have seen the legislature and the judiciary be more proactive on this issue but the much-celebrated reforms have done little to reduce the statistics. As long as all members of the legal fraternity abide by an unequivocal declaration by the Supreme Court of Pakistan – murder committed in the name of honour must be subject to a minimum penalty of life imprisonment – not much can change. A true shift, however, requires a shift in societal attitudes and the dismantling of patriarchal norms that perpetuate violence against women. By fostering an environment that values and protects the lives and choices of all individuals, regardless of gender, Pakistan can work towards eliminating this horrific practice.

It is crucial to recognize that murder is murder, and no honour can ever justify taking a life. *