KARACHI, Feb 26: The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc), referring to the incident of gruesome double murder in the name of honour in Sanghar, has expressed its serious concern over the “sorry state of the internal affairs and lawlessness which has become order of the day.”

In a statement issued here on Monday, Akhtar Hussain Baloch, regional manager of Sparc, said Fareeda Brohi, 13, and Hameeda Brohi, 17, were hacked to death by their two uncles and a cousin.

He noted that the girls had been dragged out of the house while their helpless mother kept shouting to draw people’s attention. He deplored that police reached the scene more than three hours after their murder.

“We are immensely concerned over the rising number of karo-kari killings and holding of jirgas in lower Sindh,” said Mr Baloch.

He said that the situation should be alarming for the law-enforcement agencies, judiciary, and civil society organisations. “Although the Sindh High Court, Sukkur Bench, has already imposed a ban on holding jirgas and directed the police department to register FIRs against organisers of such jirgas, such unlawful practices were continuing unabated,” he said.

To add insult to the injury, politically influential landlords have started organising a tribal jirga to ensure release of the four persons arrested for killing the two girls.

“Their aim is to exert pressure on the girls’ mother, Shahar Bano, to withdraw the case against the accused. While police have claimed to have made necessary arrangements for her security, her life is in danger,” said the Sparc activist.