Christian Pakistani teen murdered in so-called ‘honor’ killing

Two months after a documentary won an Oscar for spotlighting Pakistan’s problem with so-called “honor” killings, four new murders show the problem remains entrenched.

In March, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his government was “in the process of legislating to stop such brutal and inhumane acts in the name of honor” and screened A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness at his own residence, according to The New York Times.

That month, the upper house of Pakistan’s Parliament passed an “anti-honor killing” amendment, introduced in 2014. The bill now awaits National Assembly approval, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

But honor killing has been a crime in Pakistan since 2004, and the government still struggles to enforce laws against it. Activists warned “the [2004] law has no teeth—it will be ineffective,” the Aurat Foundation noted. Increasing numbers of honor crimes proved them right.

Most recently, a man killed his teenage sister, Anum Ishaq masih, on June 12 over her intention to marry a Christian neighbor.

“Saqib Ishaq masih, 23, killed his sister by smashing her head with a wooden log,” Rana Zulfiqar, the officer in charge of the police station in the city of Sialkot, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Anum’s father pressed charges, and police arrested and charged Saqib with murder. If the father hadn’t sought justice, Saqib might not have faced any punishment because Pakistani law allows families to pardon perpetrators, HRW reported. Pardons often happen after honor killings because culprits are usually relatives.

Anum’s killing was unusual because she came from a Christian family. Honor violence is more common among other religious groups, or across religious lines, but is usually culturally motivated.

“It has nothing to do with religion but is part of a social issue that is deeply rooted in the eastern societies,” Christian activist Shamoon Gill told AFP. “Most of the Christians and even Hindus are converts. They have converted but there are still some elements of tribal society.”

The concept of honor is deeply rooted in South Asian culture, said William Stark, International Christian Concern’s manager for the region.

But the family honor concept can become intertwined with religion, Stark said, recalling a Muslim woman who converted to Christianity. Her husband considered that so dishonorable that he doused her with kerosene and lit her on fire.

Anum’s murder followed other recent honor killings, including that of Zeenat Rafiq, whose mother allegedly burned her to death after she eloped, according to CBS. HRW also reported that on May 31 relatives of a teacher tortured and killed her for refusing an arranged marriage. In another case, a village council ruled a girl should be killed for helping a friend elope. She was found incinerated inside a van.

“So-called honor killings have been a long-festering problem in Pakistan, and the recent escalating trend makes it clear they won’t go away on their own,” said Brad Adams, HRW’s Asia director. “The government needs to step up its prosecution of these horrific cases and send a message of zero tolerance.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimated 1,096 women and 88 men lost their lives to “honor killings” in 2015, according to Pakistan’s The Nation.

“The government has to step in to put an end to the unofficial councils and their death sentences,” commission member Tahira Abdullah told USA Today.

Change will only come through the rule of law, Stark said.

“People aren’t being brought to justice now. If you have an ineffective police force, it doesn’t matter what law you pass,” he noted. “Training the police and holding them at higher accountability [would help].”