WHEN desperation reaches a point that a father has to end his life to save his daughter’s, the state has failed its citizens spectacularly. Such an extreme measure was taken recently in Dera Ismail Khan. Adil, a poor barber, endured torture, extortion of Rs700,000, and the ultimate cruelty: having his 11-year-old daughter forcibly taken away as vani —‘compensation’ — for an alleged conversation between his nephew and another girl. This crushing injustice drove him to consume poison, leaving behind a heartbreaking audio testimony that indicts our failed institutions. Vani is not merely a barbaric ‘custom’ — it is a crime. Child marriage laws criminalise underage marriage, and the Prevention of Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act, 2011, makes it illegal to give women as compensation to settle disputes. Yet, out-of-court settlements and tribal ‘justice’ continue unabated, rendering the state’s writ meaningless. How can a panchayat be allowed to function as judge, jury, and executioner while the authorities look the other way? The fact that police action came only after a man’s suicide speaks volumes about the state’s failure to protect its citizens.

The incident reflects a disturbing pattern where women are routinely punished for society’s warped sense of ‘morality’. In another case, a woman and her infant son were shot dead in an act believed to be an ‘honour’ killing since she had married of her own free will. The arrests made after the vani incident, while necessary, represent too little, too late. The state must dismantle all panchayats practising such rulings, establish proactive police monitoring in vulnerable areas, and swiftly prosecute all involved in such ‘verdicts’. The KP government must establish specialised units to identify and prevent vani before it occurs, rather than merely responding to tragedies. Educational campaigns are essential, but meaningless without enforcement. More must be done. A father should not have to end his life to protect his daughter in a nation of laws.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025