LARKANA, Dec 28: Speakers at a seminar held on Sunday called for establishment of family courts at the district level to effectively deal with cases of violence against women and family disputes by involving civil society.
They said at the seminar on “violence against women” organised by the Pirbhat Women Welfare Society that the government should make laws to curb crime against women.
They called for evolving a chain of coordination among human rights activists and members of civil society to fight against violence against women.
The speakers including Taj Marri, Dr Inayat Magsi, Ghaffar Pindrani, Roobina Chandio and Farooque Soomro said that incidents of violence were on the rise and criticised the practice of not registering FIRs for unnatural deaths of women despite growing reports they had been falling prey to old and outdated customs and traditions.
They underscored the need for joint efforts and urged women to stand up against jirga system, feudal system and the tall walls of Havelis where women were usually made to live like captives.
The outdated traditions and customs had traumatised the society, they said. Sindh Minister for Women’s Welfare Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto who presided over the seminar said that Benazir Bhutto was a strong advocate of human rights and the rights of women.
The government was serious in framing laws to end violence against women and had invited proposals for compiling recommendations. She said that change in attitude was a must to achieve the goal as jirga system and marriages in exchange had become cancer for the society.
She expressed the wish to visit every nook and corner of the province where women were silently bearing domestic violence. She asked the organisers of the seminar to hold such seminars and dialogues to pool opinions of people drawn from different walks of life.
KARO-KARI: Abdul Rasool Chandio shot at and killed Bahadur Bohar and injured his wife Habiban on the pretext of karo-kari in Bahawal Chandio village near Qubo Saeed Khan on Sunday.
Hakimzadi, wife of the killers also received injuries when a stray bullet hit her. The injured were admitted to Chandka Medical College Hospital. The killer fired at the deceased when marriage ceremony was in progress the sources said.
ENCOUNTER: Police claimed to have killed a robber and arrested another after an encounter in the jurisdiction of Nasirabad police station late on Saturday night.
The alleged robbers fired on police when they were patrolling the Nasirabad-Warah road. When police repulsed a robber identified as Punhal Mughiri was killed in fire and Mukhtiar Shabrani sustained injuries. He was moved to Chandka Medical College Hospital.