SUKKUR, May 5: The Federal Government has advised the provincial governments of Sindh, Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan for legislation that would leave the courts with no option but award maximum punishment to the accused involved in honour killings.

This was stated by the chairman, Parliamentary Human Rights Commission (PHRC), Riaz Fatyana, while talking to newsmen on Monday.

He said that in recent months cases of Karo-kari had increased at an alarming rate, and in most of them innocent women had fallen prey.

It was also discovered that more than 90 per cent of Karo-kari killings were motivated due to money, property or family disputes, while the factor of honour astonishingly remained missing.

Riaz Fatyana said that Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had taken serious notice of the large-scale Karo-kari killings in Sindh, and upon his directive a delegation of the PHRC had recently come to Karachi to ascertain facts and to device a future strategy.

He said a women think-tank was set up by the Sindh government, headed by the deputy speaker, Sindh Assembly, Raheela Tiwana, which was assigned the task of formulating recommendations for legislation against Karo-kari.

He said that the bill would be soon presented in the Sindh Assembly.

He stated that the proposed amendment in the law, however, could make honour killings a bigger crime than murder.

Riaz Fatyana said that the PHRC would soon undertake a visit of upper Sindh to meet the rural people and NGOs.—APP