Karo-kari claimed at least 115 lives last year
MULTAN, January 18, 2005: At least 115 women lost their lives due to honour killing while 167 others were killed in the incidents of domestic violence in southern Punjab during the year 2004.
According to a report released by the Multan task force of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, some 57 of the women fell prey to the honour killing were married while 56 were unmarried. The remaining two were divorcees.
Brothers of the honour killing victims were found to be the accused in almost half of the incidents while husbands were the second largest ‘killers’ in the name of honour.
Eight of the women killed for ‘honour’ were those who had married with the men of their own choice.
As per the HRCP report, only 17 accused were arrested in the 115 reported cases of honour killing while no case had been registered in eight incidents. Besides, some 55 men were also killed in the name of honour.
Of the women fell victim to the domestic violence, around 137 were married, 26 unmarried, three divorcees and one widow. Husbands turned out to be the accused in most of the domestic violence cases followed by brothers and fathers.
About 540 cases of criminal assault on women were reported during the previous year. Of the victims, 227 were married, 306 unmarried and four widows. Similarly, 212 incidents of criminal assault against children were also reported during the period. Of them, 126 were boys while 86 were girls.
During the period, as many as 73 children were killed due to a variety of reasons, including 17 cases of rape-cum-murder. Some 518 cases of murders of men were also reported. Out of them, about 50 fell victims to the incidents of dacoity-cum-murder during the year in south Punjab.
There reported some 161 incidents of suicide as well. Among the victims, 45 were women while the rest were men. The ratio of committing suicide among unmarried men and married women was relatively high.
Courts in the area handed down death penalty to 150 people, including two women, during the year while seven convicts were executed. Some 407 incidents of police torture had come onto surface during the previous year.
In one incident, Shehr Sultan ASI Javed shot dead one Ali Muhammad only because the latter had refused to give him some hens.
In 28 reported police encounters, around 47 people were killed, including two minors. Among the police officers accused of torture were from as high an official as DPO to the constables.
Source: Frontierpost
Date:1/18/2005
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