Two teenaged sisters are the latest victims of (dis)honour killings here in Pakistan. The incident took place in the Sadiqabad district of the Punjab; with the pair being strangled by two male cousins. Their crime was to have met up with a couple of boys.
That such report make neither headline nor front-page news in this country is an indication of just how routine such murder cases are. The end result being that the fourth estate has become somewhat numb on this front. Indeed, it is only roused from its deep slumber in the event of such crimes happening across so-called hostile borders.
This must change. Ditto when it comes to state complacency. The onus in the government of the day to list women’s security among its top priorities. Of course, this will have to go beyond notions of physical safety to include challenging deeply entrenched mind-sets that cast women in the unasked-for roles of guardians of societal and familial honour; naturally reinforcing the idea of being the property of men. All of which is another way of calling for the patriarchy to be chipped away at until it eventually smashes and comes tumbling down.
The #MeToo movement is slowly gaining traction around the world. And it must be noted that the plight of the privileged women of Hollywood has helped others come forward to name and shame the powerful men who abused their trusted positions. But it also needs to be acknowledged that the majority of women — especially in this part of the world — risk being murdered at the hands of men who deny them their right to self-determination. And this has to be tackled head-on. Without giving in to presumptions of cultural apology.
As a first step, all political parties should actively speak out against honour killings during their numerous rallies. Not only will this message reach certain areas of the rural poor and urban centres alike — it will also help dispel prevailing assumptions that this is a matter better suited to the non-governmental sector. In short, the political apparatus needs to take the lead in terms of ensuring the safety of half the citizenry. Similarly, the latter would do well to introduce amendments to national curricula to broach the subject of girls’ right to self-determination. And lastly, the state must persuade clerics to take up this issue at Friday prayers; while offering guidelines towards this end.
Because from where we, here at Daily Times, are sitting, recent changes to the law whereby the concept of pardoning such crimes has been prohibited are clearly not enough. *
Published in Daily Times, November 6th 2018.