In Pakistan, the word ghairat (honour) has long been weaponized, wielded like a dagger against women who dare to assert their autonomy. Behind closed doors, in quiet villages, and under the cloak of tribal justice, this year has once again exposed the haunting persistence of honour killings—a brutal form of gender-based violence masquerading as cultural tradition.
From Karachi to Balochistan, the past twelve months have witnessed a grim roll call of names: Sheetal and Zarak, Alia Bibi, Fatima, Amina, Shaheena, Saira, Shahnaz, and many others. Their lives were cut short not by strangers, but by those they once trusted—fathers, brothers, husbands.
A Timeline of Femicide: Murder in the Name of Honour:
July 20, 2025 – Sheetal and Zarak, a young couple married for just over a year, were brutally executed by nineteen men under orders of a tribal jirga in Balochistan. Their crime? Falling in love and marrying without family consent.
July 16, 2025 – Alia Bibi, 25, was shot dead by her cousin in Shamoni Khattak for being “too open-minded.” A woman with a voice was seen as a threat.
March 2025 – Fatima, 19, from Shangla, was killed by her own family. The planning involved multiple relatives, showing how systemic and calculated these acts often are.
December 2024 – In Pakpattan, Amina Bibi, mother of three, was shot by her brother, who told police her “character was questionable.”
November 2024 – A mother of five was stoned to death in Faisalabad. Her husband and brother accused her of having an affair and left her body in a drain.
August 2024 – Shaheena Bibi, 20, was killed by her father and brother in Lodhran after returning from an elopement.
July 2024 – Shahnaz, 45, and her daughter Samia, 18, were murdered by their husband/father in Lahore. A dagger was the weapon. Honour was the excuse.
Systemic Silence and the Failure of Legal Reform:
Despite the passage of the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences in the Name or Pretext of Honour) Act of 2016, which was introduced following the high-profile killing of social media star Qandeel Baloch, enforcement remains inconsistent.
The law was designed to eliminate the forgiveness loophole—where families pardon the killer, often a relative—but in practice, convictions are still rare.
In many cases, police turn a blind eye, communities stay silent, and victims are quickly buried—literally and figuratively.
By the Numbers: A Disturbing Reality:
From 2024, more than 385 honour killings were officially reported, with over 90% of the victims being women. The regions most affected include Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the incidence of such crimes is particularly high.
Human rights organizations believe that the true number of honour killings is likely two to three times higher than official figures, owing to widespread underreporting and societal stigmas that prevent many cases from being documented.
