The brutalities and atrocities against women in the interior of Sindh are mounting at an alarming rate. The gender-based violence comprising cases of honour killing, karo-kari and torture have reached ghastly proportions during the past few years, especially in tribal areas of Sindh.

What’s extremely unfortunate, though, is the callously insensitive attitude of the state, the concerned institutions and the society towards the heinous crimes occurring against women which are rising with each passing day.

According to the facts and information gathered by Bol News, a majority of the hapless women are killed by their own close relatives on the pretext of honour killing in Sindh, where the preposterous Jirga (traditional courts) system prevails and protects the culprits and murderers of their brutal acts.

“The brutal killings of women on the pretext of honour killing is really catching on in the interior of Sindh, but the state continues to be a silent spectator,” laments the Sindh Suhai Sath Chairperson Dr Ayesha Dharejo while speaking to Bol News.

“The Sardars (chieftains) of the tribal areas give despotic decisions on “karo- kari” in their jirga in connivance with the police. They blatantly challenge the writ of the government and get clandestinely supported by the Parliament. For example, if there is a jirga of a case worth Rs1.5 million, the sardar and the police pocket around Rs 500,000 of that while the rest of the amount goes to the family of the deceased woman.”

She explains that under this cursed and cruel custom of karo-kari, which has been derived from a Baloch tradition, the community accuses a man of having extramarital relations and declares him as “karo” while the woman is “kari” Both the persons are liable to be brutally murdered by their close relatives for their ‘sin’.

“When women begin to demand their rights, seek higher education or a job or raise their voice for freedom of expression, their relatives and blood relations begin to feel threatened and put all sorts of restrictions and bans on them,” said Dharejo. “That compels women belonging to areas in the interior of Sindh and in Balochistan to marry in a hurry and go off the boundaries set by their relatives. But they ultimately have to meet their doom which is deplorable and so cruel.

Sharing a recent incident in Ghotki, Dharejo narrated how a married man took a loan from a man belonging to another community but was unable to pay it back in time. “Would you believe that the man staged a drama and killed his own innocent wife, accusing her to be the ‘kari’ and the loan giver as ‘karo’.

A jirga was then held and decided to force the innocent man (the loan giver) to write off the debt, pay more money to the debt taker and leave the district immediately. This is an unimaginable and incredible felony.”

“When I complained to a senior superintendent of police (SSP) about these decisions taken by the jirga, he asked me to produce a written copy of the decisions or provide some solid evidence. Now how can I present it? Some sources informed me about it but were reluctant to disclose their identity due to fear of backlash. It is the job of police to trace and arrest the culprits involved. But let me tell you here, the police is well aware of most cases and the people involved, but often look the other way,” claimed Dharejo.

A research in the honour killing incidents carried out in 2017 brought to fore the fact that almost 70 per cent of the karo kari cases are registered on behalf of the state by the police, while the rest of the 30 per cent are lodged by close relatives of the victims.

Dharejo added that the culprits and their men often grease police’s palms besides bribing the investigating officers to delay the investigation or weaken the prosecution. “The evidence is expunged while delay in prosecution takes the focus away from the case. Even the media stops highlighting the cases once they are old or delayed. That is why, over 50 per cent cases go on settlement when they (cases) linger on.”

She described Kashmore district as “a women killer district”, for as many as 176 people including 128 women and 48 men have been murdered there.

Sharing details of honour killings during last year, based on the data procured and compiled by NGOs and other organisations, she said 27 people (23 women and four men) were killed in Kashmore district, 26 people (14 women and 12 men) in Jacobabad district, 23 people (18 women and five men) in Shikarpur district, 17 people (14 women and three men) in Ghotki district and 83 in other districts of the province were killed in 2021 alone.

“My orgsanisation will highlight the problems and grievances of women and will try to provide them with a sense of protection in the forthcoming Aurat Azadi March on March 8 at Kandhkot in Kashmor district,” said Dharejo.

She emphasised that the state should take up such cases from beginning to the end in special courts of law and must ensure speedy justice in order to eliminate this menace and injustice from the society. “The judiciary which has already banned the holding of jirgas, must award exemplary punishment to those who violate the court order.”

Amar Sindhu, the convenor of Women Action Forum (WAF) who is also a professor of philosophy at University of Sindh Jamshoro endorsed Dharejo’s views and lamented that the courts are doing enough to address the violent trend of honour killing. “There are three insensitive facets of this burning issue of the gender-based violence. First, the political institutions like Parliament, Senate and even local bodies system take up this issue strongly. Secondly, police and judiciary must sincerely and honestly give priority to the welfare of women and the women issues. And thirdly, the society should create awareness and for pressure groups to regulate the political institutions and the state in terms of law and order,” she said.

She lamented that zero justice is witnessed in the court of law insofar cases of gender-based violence are concerned and there is a big question mark over the performance of the courts who in turn blame police for its weak investigation and prosecution. “Why can’t the courts bind the police and the investigating officers to pursue such cases of violence against women and strengthen them in bringing the culprits to book?” asked Sindhu.

She stressed need for mapping all areas of violence so that the SSPs and deputy inspector general of police (DIGs) of the affected localities could be held accountable for negligence and are coerced into taking immediate and strict action against people responsible for honour killing and domestic violence.”

She observed that the level of brutality has significantly risen during the past couple of years. “The WAF’s media watch collected data of August 2021 shows that there were 22 honour killings, 10 killings in other domestic violence, 28 suicide cases and six rape cases witnessed in Sindh. “Such brutality could not be perpetrated even in a battlefield.”

In Ghotki district, there is a Kari Qabaristan (graveyard) and a well-known point of section of the River Indus where Karis (accused women) are thrown in,” disclosed Sindhu. Älthough there are two commissions – Sindh Commission on the Status of Women and National Commission on the Status of Women – formed to address these women issues, they are regretfully not viable at all.”

“On the pretext of the honour killing, people kill their own mothers, sisters or wives just because of some family enmity, long-running feud, business dispute, jealousy over crops, debt settlement etc. Most of the killers are psycho and there is no psychological treatment for such people in our society,” she lamented. “We have imparted training to prosecutors, medico legal officers, police and so many others so that they could submit their challans properly in 27 gender-based violence (GBV) courts in Sindh. We also plead to fully function these 27 GBV courts but our pleas often fall on deaf ears.”

Meanwhile, Chairperson Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Nuzhat Shiri, while speaking to Bol News, highlighted that in the tribal areas of the province, where police is not fully equipped to deal with these cases of gender-based violence, people prefer to approach the feudal lords to settle their matters.

Ïf the financial and human resources are appropriate as per the budget allocation and sanctioned posts under Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Act 2015, the commission can fulfil its mandate more successfully,” observed Nuzhat

She revealed that the commission has connected government departments with private institutions now and has also established a police eportal, free legal aid directory and other avenues to facilitate victims and their families on behalf of the state.

“Both Sindh Commission on the Status of Women and National Commission on the Status of Women closely coordinate work with each other to enhance the status of women.

Eminent psychiatrist Dr Jamil Junejo, analysisng the causes of people’s behaviour or disorders that lead to such heinous crimes against women, said: “There are two psychological disorders and many more ills of the society when people commit this crime. Firstly, people are generally suffering from psychological disorders called Othello syndrome and pathological or delusional jealousy. This disease prompts spouse, either male or female, that he or she is not sincere to him or her.”

“Secondly people are consuming some kind of drugs or substances such as liquor, bhang, opium etc which are very common in small villages of the interior of Sindh. They take the senses out of human beings.

Thirdly there are many social ills which prevail over some particular areas,”

He said that these criminals surrender themselves to police and complain about some mental disorder, but actually they should be punished because they have committed crimes.”

“I saw such cases in forensic psychiatry. There are so many other secondary reasons about such killings such as revenge, property dispute, jealousy, lack of freedom of expression in families or especially in tribal families.

“It happens in lower belt of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan where this cruel custom prevail for centuries there are also other inhuman customs including satee, vani and other cruel traditions. All this must end to give relief to poor women who are facing such hazards day in and day out in this country,” he concluded.