PAKISTAN: A 13-year-old girl was killed by her in-laws on the pretext of honour killing and her body was not found yet

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 13-year-old girl named Koonjan was killed by her husband, Ahmedan along with other 4 of her in-laws in Kato Bangwar Village, Kandh Kot Town, Jaqcobabd District, Sindh Province on 4 March 2004. It is reported that Ahmedan killed his wife on the pretext of honour killing. This is the fourth honour killing case from Sindh Province which was reported to AHRC within the last two months. 

According to the information we have received, after killing Koonjan, the offenders took her body to conceal the crime. Even though the victim’s father lodged the complaint to the Karampur Police Station, none of the 5 offenders have yet been arrested nor the victim’s body has been found yet. 

Please send a letter to the local authorities and request them to arrest the perpetrator quickly and find the whereabouts of the victim’s body as soon as possible. Please also call for the government of Pakistan, especially the state government of Sindh province to take strong action to eliminate the honour killings. 

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Koonjan, 13, a housewife, childless
Alleged perpetrators: 
1. Ahmedan Bangwar, the husband of the victim and a farmer 
2. Todo Bangwar, son of Mughul and the father-in-law of the victim 
3. Mehar Bangwar, son of Mughul and the uncle-in-law of the victim 
4. Khalid Bangwar, son of Todo Bangwar and the brother-in-law of the victim
5. Rahmatullah Bangwar, son of Saamano and the victim’s husband’s relative
Name of the witnesses: 
1. Todo Bahilkani, son of Qasim Bahilkani and the father of the victim 
2. Bilawal Bahilkani, son of Waryo Bahilkani and the cousin of the victim’s father
3. Rasool Bux, son of Waryo Bahilkani and the cousin of the victim’s father
Date of incident: At around 8:30 pm on 4 March 2004
Case reported: Reported by Todo (Father of the victim), son of Qasim on 6 March 2004 at Karampur Police Station (FIR No. 15/04 Sections 302-210 PPC)
Place of incident: Kato Bangwar Village, Kandh Kot Town, Jaqcobabd District, Sindh Province, Pakistan

Case Details: (Based on the testimony of the victim’s father)

In the afternoon of 4 March 2004, Ahmedan Bangwar along with his father and family members killed Koonjan in Kato Bangwar Village, Kandh Kot Town, Jaqcobabd District, Sindh Province on the pretext of honour killing. The body of the victim was taken by the offenders and it has not yet been found. On 6 March 2004, the victim’s father registered the First Investigation Report (FIR-Case No. 15/04 Sections 302-210 of Pakistan Penal Code) of the case at Karampur Police Station. 

According to the victim’s father (the one that issued the complaint), he got his daughter, Koonjan, married with Ahmedan two years ago and she lived with her husband with no children. On 4 March 2004, he went to meet his daughter, who lived in Kato Bangwar Village. On the way to the village, he met his two cousins named Bilawal and Rasool Bux and went to his daughter’s house together. After they reached there, all of them were chatting with Koonjan. 

Later around 8:30 pm, Ahmadan (the victim’s husband) along with his father Todo, his uncle Mehar (both are sons of Mughul), his brother Khalid and Rahmatullah (son of Saamano) came to the house and they all had guns in their hands. Ahmedan dragged Koonjan to the ground and condemned her of having sexual relationship with a person named Tahir Bahilkani. After he accused her of adultery, Ahmadan and his family members shot Koonjan to death. After that, to hide their crime, they took her body in a bull-cart and left the place to conceal it. The victim’s father and his two cousins saw everything but they could not do anything because they were bare handed while the offenders were all equipped. 

The victim’s father and his cousins rushed back to their village to contact their tribal head, Ghargaje Khan, who was out of the village at that time. The tribal head came back to the village on 6 March 2004 and advised the victim’s father to lodge a FIR to the police station. 

The victim’s father reached the Kandh Kot Town Police Officer (TPO), Mr. Masroor Jatoi on 6 March 2004, and made an complaint to him about the incident. Then, the TPO ordered the Karampur Police Station to investigate the matter (Case No. 15/04 Sections 302-210 PPC). The Karampur Police made raids on the houses of the offenders but the offenders had already fled from their houses and they did not succeed in arresting the offenders nor recovering the body of the victim. When Sub-divisional Police Officer of Investigation Kandh Kot, Mr. Gul Hassan Khan was reached on 31 March and 1 April 2004, he said that the body of the victim has not yet been founded. The victim’s father claimed that his daughter Koonjan was killed under the fake allegation of adultery. He is afraid that the offenders might have buried the body of his daughter somewhere to hide their crime.

The honor killings 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. 

Moreover, the rural landlords provide maximum shelter to the killers. And the decisions of such cases are taken by the landlords (tribal court) rather than by the courts of law. Because of the strong tribal court (Jirga) system particularly practicing in Sindh Province, even though the victim’s family lodged the FIR to pressure the offenders, in most of honour killing cases, the victim’s family do not pursue the cases at court due to high cost and long delay of getting justice. The government’s judicial system has failed to provide speedy justice to the victims and an individual case often takes several years. 

Therefore, the victim’s family goes to the traditional justice system (Jirga-tribal court), where the cases are mostly settled within a few days. This traditional system has been practiced for a long time and it is commonly accepted. However, most of the cases under the tribal court are disposed compoundable under the Ordinance of Qisas and Dayat.(According to the Ordinance of Qisas and Dayat, if the offender provide compensation to the victim’s family as they claimed, the offender can be released without any punishment.) Therefore, it is difficult for the victims of this case to expect fair trials and justice.

SUGGESTED ACTION: 
Please send a letter, fax or email to following addresses and express your concern about this serious case. 

1. Hon. General Pervez Musharraf
President of Pakistan
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 
PAKINSTAN
Tel: +92 21 9212626-7 
Fax: +92 21 9212051 

4. Mr. Rahoo Khan Brohi 
Regional Police Officer 
Sukkur Region 
Airport Road Sukkur 
Tel: +92 71 30547, 30248 
Fax: +92 71 31824 

5. Mr. Abdul Qayoom Pitafi
District Police Officer Investigation
Jacobabad District
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92-721-514570

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 

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