Dear friends
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned by another case of honor killing from Sindh province, Pakistan. A 36-year-old women named Hazooran was killed by her husband, Gulshan Ali along with her brother-in-law on the pretext of honour killing on 14 April 2004. The woman’s brother has lodged a complaint to the Drakhan Police Station. This is the fifth honor killing case from Sindh Province that was reported to AHRC since this February.
According to our information, the two offenders have not yet been arrested. The case might be disposed compoundable under the Ordinance of Qisas and Dayat and the offenders may not be punished. According to the Ordinance of Qisas and Dayat, if the offender provides compensation to the victim’s family as they demanded, the offender can be released without any punishment.
AHRC is deeply concerned by the practice of honor killing widely practiced in Pakinstan, mainly in Sindh Province. Please send a letter to the government of Pakistan and request them to arrest the perpetrators quickly. Please also urge the state government of Sindh to take genuine steps to prevent honor killings in the future.
Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:
Name of the victim: Ms. Hazooran (36), married with 4 children, a housewife
Name of alleged perpetrators: (1) Gulshan Ali, son of Khabar, of Jeho caste, a farmer and the victim’s husband, (2) Dilawar, the brother of the accused
Complainant: Mr. Ali Sher, son of Qaaim-u-ddin, of Khaskheli caste, the victim’s brother
Witnesses: (1) Allah Wadhayo, son of Yar Mohammad, of Khaskheli caste, the maternal cousin of the complainant, (2) Ghulam Qadir, son of Abdul Wahid, of Marfani caste, a friend of the complainant
Date of incident: At around 6:30 am on 14 April 2004
Case reported on: At around 8:30 am on 14 April 2004 at Drakhan Police Station
Place of incident: Drakhan Village, Garhi Yaseen Town, Shikarpur Distict, Sindh Province, Pakistan
Case details: (based on the testimony of the victim’s brother)
On 14 April 2004, Gulshan Ali killed his wife Hazooran (36) abetted by his brother Dilawar on the pretext of “Honor Killings”. Within two hours after the incident, the victim’s brother Ali Sher lodged a complaint to the Drakhan Police Station (Case No. 27/04 Section 302-34 PPC).
According to the victim’s brother Ali Sher, his sister Hazooran married Gulshan Ali about 21 years ago. On 13 April 2004, he went to Hazooran’s house in Drakhan Village along with his maternal cousin Allah Wadhayo and his friend Ghulam to visit her. After they arrived in Hazooran’s house, they found that Hazooran and his brother-in-law Gulshan had had a quarrel on a domestic matter and were angry with each other. In the evening they left her house to go back to their house in Taraai Village. They went to the Darkhan Bus Stand but they could not find the vehicle going to their village because it was already too late. So they came back to Hazooran¡¯s home and stayed there for the night.
The next morning (14 April 2004), they woke up early to leave for their village. At about 6:30 am, Hazooran and her husband Gulshan started to quarrel and Gulshan verbally abused his wife. The victim’s brother asked Gulshan not to use such language with his wife. Gulshan became furious and he and his brother Dilawar started to beat Hazooran. Ali Sher and his companions tried to stop the quarrel but Gulshan used a pistol fire on Hazooran hitting her on the belly. Ali Sher and his companions tried to catch Gulshan and Dilawar, but Gulshan warned them not to follow him and his brother or he would shot them, too. Then, Gulshan and Dilawar fled.
The victim’s brother saw that Hazooran was bleeding and was already dead. He asked his companions (the two witnesses) to stay at the house and went to lodge a complaint at the Drakhan Police Station. In the First Information Report (FIR) of the case, the quarrel on the domestic matter is mentioned as the case of murder, but the victim’s brother said that the quarrel later led to the allegation of honor killing.
According to our source, even though the case was registered at the Drakhan Police Station by the victim’s brother, the case might be disposed compoundable under theOrdinance of Qisas and Dayat. (According to the Ordinance of Qisas and Dayat, if the offender provides compensation to the victim’s family as they demanded, the offender can be released without any punishment.) In many cases of honor killings, the victim’s family often compromises with the accused according to the Ordinance of Qisas and Dayat after receiving much pressure from society. The real trial and the decision will be taken in their tribal court. So, it is difficult for the victims of such cases to expect fair trials and justice.
Honor killings often occur on the pretext of maintaining honor. The male relatives who commit the murders are rarely prosecuted in traditional communities. It appears that any action, real or fabricated, if deemed by the family as compromising their honor, may be considered a valid reason to commit murder. While illegal according to national laws and inconsistent with Islamic doctrine in both the Koran and Sharia, the lack of consistent positive action by Pakistani law enforcement agencies and the seemingly commonplace belief in the practice of honor killings, facilitate this inhuman practice.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter, fax or email to following addresses and express your concern about this serious case.
1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Secretariat,
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: CE@pak.gov.pk
2.Hon. Mr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan
Governor Govt. of Sindh
Governor House Karachi
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 9201201-3
E-mail: governor@governorsindh.gov.pk
3. Mr. Sayed Kamal Shah
Provincial Police Officer, Sindh Police
Central Police Office Karachi
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 9212626-7
Fax: +92 21 9212051
4. Mr. Rahoo Khan Brohi
Regional Police Officer
Sukkur Region
Airport Road Sukkur
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 71 30547, 30248
Fax: +92 71 31824
5. Syed Sultan Shah
Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 51 920 3464
Fax: + 92 51 9203119
6. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
OHCHR-UNOG
Palais Wilson, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix,
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: 41 22 917 9022
7. Mr. Arif Hanif,
DPO District Shikarpur,
Police Head Quarters Shikarpur
Tel: +92-761-515077, 512309
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear
Re: A 36 year old woman was killed by her husband on the pretext of honour killing
Name of the victim: Ms. Hazooran (36), married with 4 children, a housewife
Name of alleged perpetrators: (1) Gulshan Ali, son of Khabar, of Jeho caste, a farmer and the victim’s husband, (2) Dilawar, the brother of the accused
Witnesses: (1) Mr. Ali Sher, son of Qaaim-u-ddin, of Khaskheli caste, the victim’s brother, (2) Allah Wadhayo, son of Yar Mohammad, of Khaskheli caste, the maternal cousin of the complainant, (3) Ghulam Qadir, son of Abdul Wahid, of Marfani caste, a friend of the complainant
Date of incident: At around 6:30 am on 14 April 2004
Place of incident: Drakhan Village, Garhi Yaseen Town, Shikarpur Distict, Sindh Province, Pakistan
I am very concerned by the killing of Ms. Hazooran (36 years old) by her husband Gulshan Ali and his brother Dilawar on 14 April 2004.
According to the information I have received, the victim was allegedly killed by her husband on the pretext of honour killing. This is already the fifth honor killing case from Sindh Province which I have received from the Asian Human Rights Commission since this February. For how long do the women in Pakistan have to face such violence in the name of “tradition”? Why does the government of Pakistan not take genuine action to eliminate the honor killings in Pakistan even though they are illegal according to national laws and inconsistent with Islamic doctrine in both the Koran and Sharia?
Article 2(e) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which the government of Parkistan is a state party, requests the state government to undertake all appropriate means without delay to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise. Article 2(f) of CEDAW further mentions that the state government should “take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women”.
Therefore, I strongly urge you to order a through and impartial investigation into this case and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible. I also urge the government of Pakistan to take strong measures to stop tribal courts and ensure that the victims get fair trials and justice. Pakistani law enforcement agencies must take consistent positive action to eliminate the honor killings. In many cases of honor killings, the police are inactive to arrest the perpetrators and leave their duty to the tribal court. In tribal court, the killers frequently receive a light penalty.
Also, I particularly urge the state government of Sindh to take strong action to stop honour killings. I further urge the government of Pakistan to take all possible measures to abolish the custom of honour killings by declaring honour killing a “crime” and creating legal provisions to prohibit it.
Sincerely yours,
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Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
