PESHAWAR: Experts at a consultative session on Thursday called upon the government to make suitable amendments to the law to remove loopholes that caused an increase in honour-related violence against women.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW) convened the session to discuss the alarming increase in honour killing incidents and related crimes in the region.

Speakers pointed out that owing to lacunas in law, honour-related violence had been carried out with almost impunity as perpetrators mostly couldn’t be convicted.

The session was attended by the additional secretary of social welfare, Mohammad Farooq Ahmed, KP Chief Khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, AIG Police Aneela Naz, journalist Farzana Ali, educationist Dr Sara Safdar and representatives of the home department, prosecution, National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) and various civil society organisations.

Experts identified the weak legal framework, particularly the laws of 2004 and 2016 through which amendments were made in the Pakistan Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, dealing with honour crimes, as the primary cause of the rise in such incidents.

They stressed the need for amendments to address loopholes in the law and weaknesses in investigation, which hindered the accountability process.

Maulana Tayyab Qureshi said that honour crimes had no basis in Islam. He offered support to stakeholders in creating awareness about it at the grassroots level.

KPCSW programme director Amna Durrani announced that the commission would establish a working group to finalise and implement a strategy, focusing on legal reviews in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

The additional secretary of the social welfare department pledged full support for strengthening the law and policymaking efforts.

Similarly, AIG Aneela Naz expressed the police department’s concerns about the rise in honour-related crimes. She committed to collaborating with KPCSW to enhance police capacity on honour killing laws and investigation practices.

The event concluded with a pledge from all the stakeholders to advance efforts to raise awareness and work collaboratively to address the issue.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2024