ISLAMABAD, January 23 2006: At least 4,383 Pakistani women were victimized by the social vice of honour killing during last four years, according to an official report. The report says that more than half of these cases occurred in Sindh.

It says that despite continuing campaigns by the government and non-government bodies, the evil continued.

The report covers only cases reported with police, and those not registered went unmentioned.

According to the report, Sindh tops the list with 2,228 reported incidents of Karo kari during the period from January 2001 to December 2004.

The report says that honour killing is prevalent in interior Sindh, tribal areas of NWFP, Balochistan and rural areas of Punjab, where, under its different names, hundreds of women are killed every year.

Most of these cases go unreported because in rural environment people hide such incidents as they consider it a matter of embarrassment.

NWFP was second where 1,569 women were killed in the name of honour despite strict laws to deal with social evils.

The provincial government failed to reduce the increasing number of such crimes, it adds.

Punjab remains third with 299 cases of honour killings, while Balochistan registered only 287 such incidents.

The report states that in 2001, only 758 incidents were officially reported.

Similarly, 1,015 incidents were reported in 2002, 1,261 in 2003 and 2004 some 1,349 women were killed in different incidents of hounor killing and Karo kari.

The report quotes officials elaborating the main causes of the honour killing and Karo kari incidents as divorce and other domestic problems.

The government is utilizing all legal and other means to hinder the occurrence of such incidents.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:1/23/2006