WASHINGTON: Killing women in the name of honour and tradition is unjustifiable, says the US State Department while condemning the murder of a woman outside the Lahore High Court earlier this week.

“We remain very concerned about violence against women and girls that takes place around the world, including in Pakistan,” said the department’s spokesperson Jen Psaki.

Farzana’s murder angered people around the globe, as human rights activists urged Pakistan to reconsider its laws. “We strongly condemn the murder of a woman outside the Lahore High Court on Tuesday,” said Ms Psaki.

“We welcome comments by senior Pakistani leaders condemning this heinous crime and calling for it to be dealt with promptly. We hope the perpetrators are quickly bro­u­ght to justice in accordance with Pakistan’s law,” she said.

The State Department official noted that tragically, this was at least the third reported so-called honour killing in Pakistan this week.

Published in Dawn, May 31th, 2014