ISLAMABAD: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has condemned the brutal killing of a 19-year-old woman from Karachi who died after enduring sexual violence, allegedly at the hands of her husband.

The death of Shanti is not an isolated incident — it is a national emergency that reveals a dangerous gap in Pakistan’s legal framework, the NCSW said in a statement released on Thursday.

“Rape is rape, even within marriage,” said NCSW interim chairperson Ume Laila Azhar, reaffirming the NCSW’s unequivocal position.

“No tradition, no relationship, no cultural norm or religious misinterpretation can justify the forced violation of a woman’s body. Marriage is not — and must never be — a licence to commit violence.

“Shanti’s case must be a turning point. Her name should stand as a call to action — a demand to end legal silence on marital rape and to reform the Pakistan Penal Code immediately,” Ms Azhar said.

The NCSW called for amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code to explicitly criminalise marital rape, removing the exemption that shields perpetrators, the statement said.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2025