MURDER for ‘honour’ is craven compliance with customs that derive sustenance from blood. The most despicable form of gender violence is seen when a woman dares to love and, in doing so, violates family pride. She and her partner face death as a consequence.

A harrowing video depicting the execution of a young couple last month in Balochistan’s Dagari area recently went viral on social media and sent shockwaves across Pakistan. In the gruesome footage, a young woman is shot down as several men look on. A terrorism case has been registered on behalf of the state, and a dozen suspects, including a tribal elder who allegedly ordered the killing, are under arrest.

The case has been transferred to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing, while the Quetta judicial magistrate has ordered that the woman’s body be exhumed. Two men in Attock also decided to restore family ‘honour’ with bloodshed: a mother of an infant took multiple bullets over doubts about her ‘character’ by both her husband and father-in-law. In Lower Dir, communal honour devoured a couple suspected of having illicit relations.

The persistence of such a scourge has sparked outrage about parallel justice systems and the fragile state of women’s liberties in Pakistan. These acts should be stripped of all traditional context that valorises them. In 2016, the government moved to plug loopholes that made it easy for ‘honour’ killers to walk free: Section 311 of the PPC, which addresses ‘fasad fil arz’, ensures that the state can intervene when ‘honour’ killing occurs and if the complainant forgives the perpetrator. Despite the amendments, punishment for murder, including ‘honour’ killings, can be set aside by the victim’s legal heirs.

Courts rarely exercise the discretion to overrule settlements between perpetrators and the kin, thereby perpetuating a culture of impunity. The state must show resolve to protect its citizens from the cancer of patriarchy.

The path to stem the rise in such murders over the last two years — HRCP data from January to November 2024 shows that 346 people were killed for ‘honour’ — lies in reforms to uphold justice, constitutional guarantees, and accountability. It does not help that activists focus on the courage of a woman facing the barrel of the gun. No life should be lost to toxic control. Women are not the family’s social currency.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2025