ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry disclosed in the National Assembly on Thursday that during the last three years of Musharraf regime, over 4,000 women were murdered all over Pakistan, including 1,019 in the name of honour.
The Interior Ministry also shocked the National Assembly during the Question-Hour by disclosing that 4,971 women were raped in the last three years.The official figures about violence against women confirmed the fact that the last three years of Musharraf era witnessed the worst form of violence against women, which continues even in the PPP government. In addition to murder of such a large number of women all over Pakistan, 4,290 women also reported to police stations that they were subjected to domestic violence of different forms.
These official figures on violence against women may place Pakistan among one of those very few countries of the world where women are being killed indiscriminately at such an alarming scale.
The Interior Ministry also confirmed that 1,000 women were killed in the name of honour during 2005-07, which gives an insight into the alarming rise in the trend of killing women under that archaic tradition. One official said they had to keep it in mind that these were only those cases of honour killing which were reported to police stations. Otherwise, he feared that no one actually knows how many more such cases were never reported by families of these unfortunate women.
MNA Riaz Fatyana asked the Interior Ministry to give total number of women in the country awarded death penalty during the last three years. The interior adviser told the house that during the last three years, no woman was awarded any death penalty. But, in the same breath, the Interior Ministry boss also revealed that a total of 3,236 women were killed, 1,075 in 2005, 1,084 in 2006 and 1,077 in 2007. Likewise, a total of 4,971 women were raped all over Pakistan–1,713 in 2005, 1,743 in 2006 and 1,515 in 2007.
Similarly, a total of 51 cases of acid throwing on women were recorded during the last three years, besides 45 cases of stove burning. But, the most shocking disclosure was made on account of honour killing when it was revealed that in addition to murder of 3,000 women, 1,000 women were killed in the name of honour, 321 in 2005, 339 in 2006 and 359 in 2007. In addition, 4,290 women complained to the police about domestic violence — 1,330 in 2005, 1,677 in 2006 and 1,283 in 2007.
The Interior Ministry said violence against women had a mixed trend during the last three years. A total of 7,045 cases of violence against women were registered in 2005 which jumped to 8,065 in 2006 and in 2007, a total of 7,424 were reported.
Source: The News
Date:11/14/2008
