Pakistan Gender News Voice of Gender News From Pakistan
KARACHI – Rejecting the Karo-Kari (honour killing) Bill passed in the National Assembly on October 26; the women MPA of the PPP Parliamentarians, Humera Alwani termed the bill an eyewash and against the basic spirit of Islamic Laws.
She also condemned the bill and said that instead providing protection to the women, this bill would help in strengthening the Jirga and Feudal system in the country. The MPA stated that the government only increased the punishments through the bill while the system of compromising and compoundability were still there and allowed the murderers to continue to pressurise the Valis and heirs of the victims.
The MPA said that the Diyat clause pressured poor people who become Valis and heirs to surrender their claims to justice and accept some money for what was often a pre-planned murder of a woman.
Humera said that this trend encouraged the Karo-Kari tribal crime against the women and devalues the life of the victims. She said that the bill was passed just to please the Jirga kings and give protection to murderers and her party would continue struggle against this black law.
Source: The News
Date:10/27/2004
