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PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society is deeply concerned over the growing incidents of honor crimes. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), 1,276 incidents of honour killings were reported in the country from Feb. 2014 to Feb. 2016 but the First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed in only 400 cases.
Moreover, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights and Human Rights Regional Offices – in their official statement to the National Assembly revealed that 933 people were killed in the name of honor in two years. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society demands that to execute justice all the perpetrators of this heinous crime should be accountable.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society is extremely concerned that killings in the name of so-called honor are becoming a norm in Pakistan. The practice is making women and young girls vulnerable. This denies the rights to the women and further narrows the space guaranteed to them by the Constitution of Pakistan and the Anti-Honour Killing Laws Amendment) Bill 2014, along with the Anti-Rape Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2014, passed by the Senate of Pakistan on March 28th, 2016.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society has consistently been raising the issue of religious extremism and anti-women mindset of the Council of Islamic Ideology which is creating hurdles to the legislators to enact any pro-women legislation and political maneuverings by the religio-political parties. To get engaged with the legislative processes and facilitate victims of gender-based violence has become a major challenge for the Civil Society Organisations. The Government of Pakistan must shows its commitment to the UN conventions and address all these urgent issues on urgent basis.
Participants in the protest were from Khwendo Kor, ShirkatGah, Aurat Foundation, LAAS, Blue Veins, SAP-PK, WAF-Peshawar, PJYO, ICDI, SPO, IDEA, De Hawa Lur, NET, MEN UNiTE, Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) and Tribal NGOs, Community Rise Programme, National Action Coordination Group and TQK. They showed their commitment to stand together against the honor killing and urged that there is no honor in killing.
THE PASHTUN TIMES
