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Honor Killing Who is responsible?
Mahjabeen Agha
Every Day one may come across the number of brutal deaths in a civilized society not in an accidental way but in a very systematically and with a maneuverable adopted strategy named “Honor killing” or the so called “Karo Kari.” According to an unofficial survey, alone in interior Sindh, daily 6 to 8 casualties reported as Karo Kari. After economically struck suicides, honor killing is the second most major drawback of society.
The questions largely looming in the rhetoric society and that needs the utmost attention are What exactly honor killing is all about, what is the root cause of this heinous crime, what should be the modus operandi to combat with this social disaster from its grass roots and last but not the least why this issue is not resolved yet rather is spreading and influencing other social sciences?
Killing brutally ones wife, daughter, mother, sister, sister-in-law and even cousins by blaming them for having illicit relation in a closely related tightly knitted society is called the so-called honor killing. Although this may not be the case in-fact by the NGO’s research the culprits own rivalry is the root cause of this social ill will. However, mostly these cases are baseless.
No one exactly knows from where this tradition started but one thing is sure that it fulfills the superiority of a man where he is not bound to any judicial punishment of his wrong doings. Chopping noses and ears piercing metal rods in stomachs, beating and using abusive language before finally come to conclusion are the heinous crimes of our society.
What is more surprising to me is its existence in an Islamic state based on Islamic laws and code of conducts and still we are looking for an international community to intervene and solve this unsettled dispute. Is paying heed to these types of crimes is really beyond to judicial scope. Many cases either dropped before coming to the suspect eye or leaved unearthed by the repeated harassment of the victim by the culprits.
The irony is that this brutal fact is not just restricted to the interior Sindh but is also exercised in various other parts of Pakistan. Where educated and civilized societies are deeply penetrated via electoral seats but are less concerned to resolve this issue or another words are afraid to change this culture which is now became an essential practice of day to day life.
If we recalled the pre Islamic history where Arab Bedouins usually burry their daughters alive calling them troublesome and degrade of their family. Then after the existence of Islamic sharia this menace was widely condemned. As our Last prophet Hazrat Mohammed (P.B.U.H) stated: “Daughters are the pride or blessing by Allah so keep them close to your heart and do not kill them for your own desire as it is un Islamic act.” Then what is the reason of ignorance and rejection of these Islamic rules and regulations. Why we are lacking behind our basic Islamic ideology and why our political parties especially Islamic parties are not intervening to pay heed to this matter.
The executioner judicial body is also containing many loopholes undesired to resolve this issue legally. Whenever these cases occurred victims prefer to remain quite rather then seeking any legal help. The issue of submitting F.I.R, then the trauma of court inquires followed by the tough medically execution process is another phrase of mental and financial disaster for poor victims.
In some parts of poverty ridden rural and even urban areas this crime is changing its roots from murder to business where by blaming any person having objectionable relations to any female member, the actual reason behind is to fetch a considerable amount of money. As victims are the culprits so dragging money is no more issue for them. But on the other side the party that actually pays the high price of sometimes having no involvement to these baseless issues suffers a lot. As their reputation, respect and their social movement became highly suspected in society.
NGO,s and other humanitarian local and international agencies though are repeatedly expressing their concerns regarding this crime against women in particular and humanity in general by conducting seminars, publishing articles and contributing via other print and electronic media. In my personal opinion speaking the truth in a well packed centrally air-conditioned auditorium of a five star hotel wouldn’t do much practically unless some strong backing by the govt. at the district and federal level along with the strong judicial body with the must and just implementation is not assured. Named like Shehnaz Bukhari, an activist who heads the Progressive Women’s Association, prominent lawyer Asma Jehangir, Ansar Burni and few other’s are the true example of the adoption of practical approach towards eradicating the social evils against women’s.
However we must not deny that rhetoric society is already admitting this horrible crime of honor killing and that’s the positive sign at the end of tunnel. Realizing means admitting and admitting is the forward step towards improvement.
Suffering is at much higher rate in the rural areas as compare to the urban areas because of the stronger influence of print and electronic media. This scenario of urban accountability shows that media is some how playing their due part. Then the same strategy should be adopted at the rural level where person before implementing their depraved thinking must realized that he will be answerable to someone if he committed any crime.
Govt. at local level is also bound to act like a watchdog to these crimes plus the character of the influential landlords is also highly regarded. They could be the source of improvement if they start preaching the true essence of Islamic laws rather then their own political superiority cause people of lower class consider them as their guru to follow they take their (Landowners) advices supreme. Then why can’t they are playing their side of rule and adopt some measures that could educate and spread tolerance among illiterate people.
As Pakistan is celebrating his 56th year of independence still women are not independent yet to live with peace. Are we really following what Quaid stated as his wish that” No nation can rise to the heights of glory unless your women are side by side with you.” What a pity, at one side more and more educated women’s are contributing socially, economically and politically towards the prosperity of the nation and on other side they are mentally and physically tortured and brutally killed in the name of “Karo-Kari,” honor killing.
The hourly need is to take some positive approach towards this unending dilemma of already financially, socially and politically dilapeted underdeveloped nation struggling to stand on its own feet. We must realized the fact that it is high time for us to pay heed to this honor killing matter along with other social injustices before they grip our society from top to bottom. We also mustn’t conceal to confess that no one from outside will come to support us but yes we may find number of evils penetrated in out society to betray our basic social and cultural values.
Something has to be done to protect the Pakistani women. Besides that women themselves are advised to raise their voices against this social injustice, they are the existing part of this universe no matter what color, class and creed they belong to but they possess their basic human rights of life, expression of legal possession and peace at any level and at any cost. In this regard education is must to revive the society. As literacy is the supreme power of eradicating or battled with any injustice.
bol ki lab aazaad hain tere
bol zabaan ab tak terii hai
bol ki sach zindaa hai ab tak
bol jo kuchh kahane hai kah le
Wake up call by Faiz Ahmed Faiz to the women of today;
Mahjabeen Agha is an Economist, Political Analyst and Computer programmer from Karachi-Pakistan She is a regular contributor to widely circulated English newspaper “Daily Dawn.” Mahjabeen Agha also contributes to various journals oh human rights and woman,s issues