September 24, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 23, 1429

JACOBABAD, Sept 23: Despite tall claims made by successive governments, the state of women in the country, particularly in Sindh remains unchanged where nearly 250 women are killed in the name of honour every year.

Honour killing is the name given to murders where the offender claims the victim, usually a woman, has brought his family into disrepute.

In many cases, the victims held properties that the male members of their families did not wish to lose if the women chose to marry outside the family.

Unfortunately, most of such cases went unreported in the past. But a new trend of reporting such matters to the relevant authorities is emerging fast.

On Tuesday, a man lodged an FIR against his father accusing him of killing his innocent teenaged daughter on the pretext of karo-kari in Lal Khan Panhor village in Thul.

Thirteen-year-old Hanifan was at her home when her father, suspecting her of having an affair with her cousin, Mohammad Salah Banglani, strangled her to death. Later, the man, Mohammad Khan, surrendered himself to the Thul police and confessed to having killed his daughter.

Subsequently, the victim’s brother, Araz Mohammad, lodged an FIR against his father stating that his sister was innocent and had been murdered in cold blood.

The police handed over the body to relatives after a post-mortem examination conducted at the Thul hospital.

Observers may recall that only a few weeks back a man had also lodged an FIR against his son in a similar case.

Moula Buksh Lohar of Jafarabad had stated in the FIR registered at the Miranpur police station of Garhi Khairo area, that his son, Ghulam Shabbir, had a monetary dispute with Sobho Katohar.

After an exchange of hot words with Sobho Katohar, his son came home and shot his wife dead. Later, he also gunned down Sobho Katohar and accused both the victims of having an affair, which Moula Buksh Lohar insisted was fabricated by his son.

With the reporting of the second such case, it is hoped that a day will dawn on us soon when this heinous tradition will become a thing of past.