Pakistan grapples with a relentless wave of honor killings, transforming personal vendettas into a national human rights scandal. A comprehensive report spotlights the outrage: thousands perish, but convictions hover near zero, betraying a broken justice machinery.
The Express Tribune’s feature, backed by SSDO analysis of state data and international insights, unmasks the scale. Sporadic news flashes hint at the problem, but routine family pacts, sluggish courts, and inept policing let ‘honor’ murders flourish unchecked.
Hard numbers indict the system. Punjab tallied 225 killings—two convictions. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 134 cases, two verdicts. Sindh: numerous reports, no punishments. Balochistan: 32 incidents, one sentence. The disparity screams neglect.
Imran Takker, a vocal women’s rights campaigner, reveals, ’90 percent victims are women, doubly oppressed. Robust cases from police and aggressive prosecution can secure convictions—if families don’t fold.’
Advocate Shabbir Hussain Gigyani laments investigative flaws: ‘Police rely on family witnesses who later recant under pressure, acquitting 80 percent. It’s a farce.’
Calling for revolution, SSDO chief Syed Kauser Abbas states, ‘Low convictions prove we can’t shield or vindicate victims. Reform probes, expedite hearings, fortify laws now.’
These killings stem from rigid customs where boundary-crossers meet violent ends, rationalized as ethical cleansing. Until enforcement matches rhetoric, impunity reigns, urging Pakistan to dismantle this toxic legacy through education, vigilance, and unyielding legal resolve.