Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a couple was murdered along with the father of the groom in an honour killing. The order for the killing was issued by a Jirga, an illegal tribal court. During the Jirga it was ordered that the couple cancel the marriage and if this was not possible then the groom, Nisar Mallah, had to gift two minor girls as compensation. When he refused the jirga announced the order to kill the couple in protection of the honour of the Kalhoro tribe. About 25 persons from the tribe attacked Nisar Mallah’s house and killed them.
As is customary the police are providing protection to the perpetrators, only four persons were arrested out of 14 accused persons in the First Information Report (FIR) who are free and using their resources to terrorise the local people not to be party to the incident. In its efforts to pressurize Mallah’s family, police booked three relatives of the victim in another case of the murder of six persons of Kalhora tribe who were killed in armed fighting with Lashari tribe at Dadu district, 60 kilometers far from the place of the incident whereas the victim family belongs to Mallah tribe.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Mr. Nisar Mallah (25), son of Ghafoor Mallah, his wife, Naseem Kalhoro (21) and Ghafoor Mallah, father of Nisar Mallah, resident of Bhugore colony of Benazirabad, former Nawabshah district, Sindh province, were murdered in the early hours of 26 July 2011 at around 3:30am when 25 persons from the Kalhoro tribe attacked their house to kill the couple who married on their own choice. The killing in the name of honour of the Kalhoro tribe was the follow up to the decision of a Jirga, a parallel illegal court, by the elders of the Kalhoro tribe, in which it was decided that the groom, Nisar Mallah, and his family should hand over two minor girls to Kalhora tribe for marrying with a girl of their tribe to settle the issue or the couple should be punished by death.
Nisar Mallah and Miss Naseem Kalhoro were in love and they decided to run away and marry outside their city. On 22 April 2010, they were arrested by Sakrand police and were produced before the magistrate who sent the girl on her wish to an official shelter house, Darul Aman, Hyderabad city. After three months she filed an application before the Sindh high court that she wanted to marry with Nisar Mallah through a court marriage. The High Court allowed the marriage and it was conducted before the High Court on 6 July 2010.
After the civil marriage at the High Court, the leader of the Kalhoro tribe, Sardar Sohail Kalhoro, a famous political personality of the province, organized a Jirga and ordered the Mallah family to hand over Miss Naseem Kalhoro along with two minor girls from the Mallah family and if the decision was not followed the couple and family members of the Nisar would be killed under Karo Kari (an honour killing).
After their marriage the couple went into hiding but three months before their murder they came back to their home where the groom, Nisar Mallah, was running a Buffalo farm and wanted to reorganize his business. The attackers stormed into the house with deadly weapons and sprayed bullets, killing three persons instantly and injuring many. But police are forcing the victim’s family to withdraw five persons from the FIR (First Information Report) otherwise the relatives of the groom would be implicated in a murder case.
On 24 November, the three relatives were booked in the murder of six persons who were killed in an armed fighting between the tribes of Kalhoro and Lashari. The incident took place 60 kilometers away from the houses of Nisar Mallah’s and the fighting was between Kalhoras and Lasharis which have nothing to do with Mallah cast.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the letters to the authorities to initiate the inquiry in to the killing of Nisar Mallah and Naseem Kalhora on the orders of an illegal court, the Jirga, held by the tribal leader of the Kalhora tribe. Please urge them to prosecute the police officials of Shahmeer Dero police station, Nausheroferoz district, for providing protection to the perpetrators. The cases of murder against the relatives of the victim should be withdrawn immediately and provide them protection.
The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women calling for her intervention into this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
PAKISTAN: A couple was murdered in the name of honour for refusing to hand over two minor girls
Name of victims:
1. Mr. Nisar Mallah 25, son of Ghafoor Mallah,
2. Miss Naseem Kalhoro 21 wife of Nisar Mallah
3. Ghafoor Mallah, father of Nisar Mallah
4. Ubaid Mallh, falsely booked in murder case of six persons
5. Haji Mustehsin Mallah, falsely booked in murder case of six persons
6. Abdul Jabbar Mallah, falsely booked in murder case of six persons
All are residents of Bhugore colony Benazirabad, former Nawabshah district, Sindh
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Sardar Sohail Ahmed Kalhoro
2. Sardar Abu Huraira
3. Sardar Naik Muhammad Kalhoro
4. Ramzan Kalhoro, President of Kalhoro Association
5. Sardar Shah Nawaz Kalhoro
6. Vadera Mazhar Ahmed Kalhoro
7. Karam Ali Kalhoro
8. Aijaz Kalhoro
All are residents of Old Shahmeer Dero village under the jurisdiction of Taluka Kandyaro in Naushehro Feroz district of Sindh Province
9. Zulfiqar Waggan, Station House Office (SHO), Shahmeer Dero, Nausheroferoz, Sindh
10. Abdul Sattar Rajan, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Nausheroferoz, Sindh
Date of incident: Shahmeer Goth, Nausheroferoz, Sindh
Place of incident: 26 July 2011
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the killing of a couple and the father of the groom in the name of honour. They married of their own choice but were belonging to different tribes. The Kalhoro tribe is famous in killing the women or couples in the name of honour.
I am informed that Mr. Nisar Mallah 25, son of Ghafoor Mallah, his wife, Naseem Kalhoro21 and Ghafoor Mallah, father of Nisar Mallah, were murdered in the early hours of 26 July 2011 at around 3.30 am when 25 persons from the Kalhoro tribe attacked their house to kill the couple who married of their own choice. The killing in the name of honour of Kalhoro tribe was the follow up of a decision of Jirga, a parallel illegal court, by the elders of the Kalhoro tribe, in which it was decided that the groom, Nisar Mallah, and his family should hand over two minor girls to Kalhoro tribe for marrying with a girl of their tribe to settle the issue or the couple should be punished by death.
According to the information I have received Nisar Mallah and Miss Naseem Kalhoro were in love and they decided to run away and marry outside their city. On 22 April 2010, they were arrested by Sakrand police and were produced before the magistrate who sent the girl on her wish to an official shelter house, Darul Aman, Hyderabad city. After three months she filed an application before the Sindh high court that she wanted to marry with Nisar Mallah through a court marriage. The High Court allowed the marriage and it was conducted before the High Court on 6 July 2010.
After the civil marriage at the High Court, the leader of the Kalhoro tribe, Sardar Sohail Kalhoro, a famous political personality of the province, organized a Jirga and ordered the Mallah family to hand over Miss Naseem Kalhoro along with two minor girls from the Mallah family and if the decision was not followed the couple and family members of the Nisar would be killed under Karo Kari, (an honour killing).
I am very concerned that after their marriage the couple went into hiding but three months before their murder they came back to their home where the groom, Nisar Mallah, was running a Buffalo farm and wanted to reorganize his business. The attackers stormed into the house with deadly weapons and sprayed bullets, killing three persons instantly and injuring many. But police are forcing the victim’s family to withdraw five persons from the FIR otherwise the relatives of the groom would be implicated in a murder case.
It is shocking for me that on 24 November, the three relatives were booked in the murder of six persons who were killed in an armed fighting between the tribes of Kalhoro and Lashari. The incident held 60 kilometers away from the houses of Nisar Mallah’s and the fighting was between Kalhoras and Lasharis which have nothing to do with Mallah cast.
It is very regretful that when the Sindh high court declared the Jirga as illegal some time ago how it is possible that this type of cruel judicial system is allowed by the government and in many cases government has ignored the Jirgas. In many cases of holding illegal judicial system in the name of Jirgas are conducted by the persons from the ruling party. Because of involvement of government persons the police avoid to stop this menace.
I therefore, urge you to initiate an inquiry into the killing of the couple and the father of the groom on the orders of the Jirga in the name of the honour of a tribe. Also to arrest all the perpetrators who are accused in the FIR and police officials of the Shahmeer Dero police station, Nausheroferoz district, for providing protection to the perpetrators. The cases of murder against the relatives of the victim should be withdrawn immediately and provide them protection. The family members of the Nisar Mallah be provided security by the government.
Yours sincerely,
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1.Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel:+ 92-51-9204801-9214171
Fax: + 92-51-9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
2. Mr. Yousuf Raza Gillani,
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk
3. Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
4. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
5. Mr. Rehman Malik
Minister for Interior
R Block Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9212026 +92 51 9212026
Fax: +92 51 9202624
E-mail: ministry.interior@gmail.com or interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
6. Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan
Governor of Sindh province
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 5043
Tel: +92 21 920 1201 +92 21 920 1201 +92 21 920 1201 +92 21 920 1201
E-mail: governor@governorsindh.gov.pk
7. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
Email: pressecy@cmsindh.gov.pk
8.Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
E-mail: registrar@sindhhighcourt.gov.pk
9. Ms. Nadia Gabol
Minister for Human Rights
Government of Sindh,
Pakistan secretariat, Barrack 92,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9207044
Tel: +92 21 9207043 +92 21 9207043 +92 21 9207043 +92 21 9207043
E-mail: lukshmil@yahoo.com
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
