Sullied Honor, Black Honor

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Sullied Honor, Black Honor Once a Kari, Always a Kari It was a warm afternoon in September, 2008.

province. A local villager was busy tracing out something buried under the ground. A little later, the detective pointed to the exact place after which the men began excavating.

1 Sullied Honor, Black Honor Once a Kari, Always a Kari It was a warm afternoon in September, A large gathering of local people, including the police, were curiously staring at a piece of land in the fields in the suburbs of Baba Kot village of Usta Muhammad District, in the Balochistan province. A local villager was busy tracing out something buried under the ground. A little later, the detective pointed to the exact place after which the men began excavating. As people waited with bated breaths, corpses of two young girls, in blood stained clothes, were unearthed. The head of the police force then turned towards the two aged married couples present. He asked them if the dead bodies of the girls were their daughters. Staring at the corpses, the couples turned away and each one of them responded in the negative. The deceased were two-ill fated girls named Izzat Bibi and Fareeda, and the aged couples standing there were their real parents. The girls were disowned by their own family, and could not gain acceptability even after being killed. Once a kari, always a kari. A Tale of Crime and Punishment After news of this incident appeared in the local newspapers, in Quetta, the Balochistan High Court (BHC) took suo moto action and directed the concerned police authority to investigate the case and take stern action against the culprits. Since the allegations were of a very serious nature, the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) was obliged to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) himself against the offenders, disclosed one of the informants, on condition of anonymity The investigations made by the police revealed that the deceased Izzat Bibi and Fareeda had been accused by certain tribesmen to have committed sinful acts with three persons - Mukhtar Ahmed, Muhammad Murad and taxi driver, Shaban Chandio. The incident was brought to the notice of a tribal notable Mir Abdul Sattar Umrani, who released Chandio, but both girls were declared siyah-kar (sinful) by another tribal notable Sardar Mir Allah Bux Umrani, after hearing the case. The matter was placed before the jirga (tribal court) consisting of eight members. A unanimous decision of the jirga declared the girls guilty. They were forcibly carried to a nearby jungle of Kohing stream where a ditch had already been prepared by means of a tractor parked at the spot. The girls were shot at, and then, without ascertaining their deaths were quickly shoved into the ditch by the blade of the tractor before the ground was leveled again. The murderers, after their barbaric act of burying the two women, whom they perceived to be dead, returned to their village like conquerors and were duly applauded. This was a clear message to all the village women to refrain from deviating from tribal norms. The aggrieved parents were obliged to forgive the bloodshed of their daughters in the name of centuries-old tradition i.e. of not allowing a girl of the tribe to contract marriage of her own choice. These were the customs and traditions of a tribal society that had compelled the parents to even disown their beloved daughters who were charged with karo-kari. 41

Sullied Honor, Black Honor Looking at this heinous tradition, exclaimed an intellectual in the provincial capital, I say Balochistan has become a dhobi ghaat (clothes' washing place) of ghairat

2 Sullied Honor, Black Honor Looking at this heinous tradition, exclaimed an intellectual in the provincial capital, I say Balochistan has become a dhobi ghaat (clothes' washing place) of ghairat (honor), where they wash their stained clothes! The initial reaction to the act was of silence, he added, Since many tribal people consider such brutality justifiable. No Proof, No Witnesses During investigation, nine of the 26 witnesses withdrew their evidence. Thus the blame lies not only with the legal and the judicial system, but also with society which sees an aberrant behavior deserving of the most brutal punishment. The court of law announced that due to the presence of infirmities in prosecution of the case, the normal death penalty could not be awarded to the accused. The lacunae included: identification of dead bodies by no one. Even the parents retracted their evidence against the accused. They even refused to identify the dead bodies as their daughters. In their statements in the court of law, they stated that they had no knowledge about the whereabouts of their missing daughters; these statement lead to the doubtful impression of daughters being alive. As per medical report, the deaths of both the girls were caused by a blunt weapon. The medical report contradicted the ocular evidence. Further, a dent in prosecution case was that the crime weapon could not be recovered. The case was further weakened when nine witnesses out of a total of 26 withdrew their evidence. 42 The District Police Officer (DPO), talking to LEAD, said: Only in my district there is an average of 100 cases of karo-kari annually. In most of the cases the parents do not approach the police to register a complaint. Sometimes the parents are involved in the killing and have consented to the crime. In the above case, it was explained that the parents were neither involved nor had consented to the murder of their daughters. It was the local tribe that took to resolving the issue as it became a matter of honor of all the tribesmen. The elders of the tribe became the judges, the jury and the executioners. They brought the females forcibly from Usta Muhammad, held their court and announced the punishment. Even the dead bodies were not handed over to the parents, despite their best efforts. They were not even informed of the place where the females were buried alive. Ultimately, the parents contacted some social activists and it was through them that the issue was highlighted in the media. On the directives of the high ups, the police was activated. During some initial arrests, it was disclosed that two females were buried. On pointing out, the police searched the place of their burial but unfortunately, the parents, who were also victims at the first stage of the case, refused to recognize the dead bodies of their own daughters. One Story, Many Versions However, well informed quarters revealed a different story altogether. You would hear a variety of versions of this

Although the incident was in the knowledge of local police, no one had filed an FIR. The villagers communicated this information to the concerned family.

3 Voicing Issues of Victims of Human Rights Violations in Pakistan men returned to the village. Facts Unearthed After around 15 days of the incident, a herdsman noticed a human hand sticking out from under the soil at the place of burial. He informed the villagers. Although the incident was in the knowledge of local police, no one had filed an FIR. The villagers communicated this information to the concerned family. They came to the site and reburied the corpses by digging a deeper ditch, the man in his forties continued his narration. horrifying incident, said a prominent person from the area. There were three women, neither five nor two, he narrated. One of the three was a married woman and she had a baby. They took away the baby before opening fire on all three of them, he said. Just five days after this incident, there was another incident, when four women from another tribe were assassinated in the same area, but no one even got wind of that, said this man, who requested anonymity. According to him, the incident came out in the open only due to political rivalry between two factions of a political family. Narrating the story, which he claimed was the factual one, the man, in his early 40s, said: It so happened that two girls and one married woman were involved with three men of three different tribes. They travelled from their village Kanda Tambu along with a taxi driver to Usta Mohammad and stayed at a hotel called Al Saddam. Somehow or the other, a human rights' organization came to know about these cold-blooded murders and through them, the news appeared in the local media on May 12, It drew the attention of the judiciary and it was on May 14 that the BHC took suo moto action. The DPO concerned was served a notice in this regard who later submitted a written statement by the SHO Baba Kot, denying any such incident had taken place in the area. The apex court refused to let go and again directed the police to conduct an inquiry into the case. The SHO Munjho Shori informed the court that the three women in question had got injured as a result of collapse of the wall on which they were sitting, and did not survive. Meanwhile, some non-governmental organizations managed to bring the incident to the notice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The bodies were exhumed and their post-mortem conducted. However, no one came forward to claim any relationship with the deceased. And no one turned up to take away the dead bodies from hospital. After waiting for another three to four days, the unclaimed bodies were buried. After a notable accused and criticized his political rival of the aberrant behavior of the women of the latter's tribe, all hell broke loose. The episode was taken as a personal insult by the politician, said the young man. Immediately some armed tribesmen, including the brother of one of the girls, came to the hotel and caught the culprits. All the three women were dragged out of the hotel by their hair and thrown into a black Pajero. It then headed towards their village Kanda Tambu, he continued. A jirga was held at Baba Kot village and the elders unanimously declared the alleged girls guilty and accordingly their fate was decided therein, the man went on. All three were brutally beaten with iron rods and rifle butts. Battered and bloodied, they were then shot at with bullets, after which they were thrown into a tractor trolley and were taken to Mir Wah jungle. They were still breathing when they were pushed into an already prepared ditch and the ditch was leveled with earth. The heinous deed accomplished, the 'honorable' 43

Sullied Honor, Black Honor Out of the twenty-two people arrested on charges of murder, these officers are bestowed with acting charge of higher 18 accused were honorably acquitted, while four were

4 Sullied Honor, Black Honor Out of the twenty-two people arrested on charges of murder, these officers are bestowed with acting charge of higher 18 accused were honorably acquitted, while four were awarded categories on political basis. Accordingly, they protect the life imprisonment, said the same man. political leaderships' interests on priority. Thus they refuse to cooperate and do not help the judiciary in arriving at justice, he Criminals Never Brought To Justice Why? added. According to the local norms and tribal traditions, the incidents of honor killing are always concealed by men and women of the I am of the view that awareness campaigns have little positive tribe. In this particular case the main witness, the taxi driver, an impact on this evil, said a local social worker. The menace accomplice to the women's crime and who took them to Al could be eradicated only with the uplift of literacy and Saddam hotel, in Usta Mohammad, remains unknown. His education, commented another one. vehicle was found in a deserted area. Even his kith and kin have not opened their mouths about him. They are either too The jirga members generally do not probe deep into the cases ashamed or too fearful to request the concerned authorities to of honor killing to arrive at the factual motive, which could probe into the missing person. include monetary benefit, getting rid of the wife to make way for another marriage or generally, to get rid of a person from There are cases where real brothers, sons or fathers themselves whom heavy loans have been taken and the borrower is not murder their sisters, mothers or daughters on the charges of willing or in a position to return. In such a case the charges of committing any act which could bring a bad name to the family. siyah-kari come in handy, said rights activists. They never regret killing in the name of honor. Rather they feel contented, proud and honored after committing the 'moral The incidence can be reduced to some extent with the help of duty/responsibility' in such cases, explained the man. strict administrative hold in which the defaulters are taken to task without accepting any political or tribal pressure, they said. The attitude of the administration, including that of the law enforcing sector, is that they cannot afford to clash with the tribal interest. The police officers are posted at important positions with the consent and support of the tribal notables. A majority of According to a lawyer: It is apparent that there is no flaw in our judicial system. The problem lies with the tribal society. If the relatives and other members of the society jointly work against 44

Voicing Issues of Victims of Human Rights Violations in Pakistan Meanwhile, only a few of the community members regarded Ibrahim as a sensible person and the rest of the community taunted and passed

To prove that he was not a coward, Salarni went to the mountains and is now a commander of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and has since murdered between four to five people.

5 Voicing Issues of Victims of Human Rights Violations in Pakistan Meanwhile, only a few of the community members regarded Ibrahim as a sensible person and the rest of the community taunted and passed remarks on him, calling him names like baighairat (shameless, disgraceful), coward and bharwa (pimp), for he did not slaughter his unfaithful wife. To prove that he was not a coward, Salarni went to the mountains and is now a commander of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and has since murdered between four to five people. According to her One needs to understand the cultural impact and pressure of norms, said Marri. The court is slow but on the other hand tribal decision-making is brisk and people prefer that. A Way Out of Misery There is still hope, said Rahima Mengal, a female activist from the area who has seen a clear decline in the number of cases. People say that incidence of karo-kari has increased but the fact is that due to increased awareness, the reporting of cases has increased. Mengal has supported several women charged with karo-kari. this menace, it can be eroded. Otherwise, the effort for the elimination of karo-kari without social support may be an exercise in futility. In the words of another lawyer: For its part, the government is equally to be blamed for not implementing the laws in true spirit of protecting the rights of women. Among others, we have the Women's Protection Act and the Harassment at Workplace Act and Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act. The intent of these laws is definitely positive and a step in the right direction, but there has not been proper implementation of these laws. A Voice from the Echelons of Power Discussing the incident Dr. Fauzia Marri, Advisor to Chief Minister of Balochistan, commented, That event in Naseerabad was not embedded in Shariat (Islamic Law) or Qabailliaat (tribalism). The culprits were in a state of tug of war that resulted in that unfortunate incidence. Marri said that karo-kari is more rampant in the bordering areas where non homogenous cultures (e.g. Balochi, Sindhi) meet. Recalling another incident of Ibrahim Salarni of Mawand area, she said: The year was He was a socialist and a progressive person from our point of view. One night, he caught his wife Hanifa red-handed with a cousin. He kicked out the guy from his residence and took his wife to her father, Maulvi Abdul Karim, and told him about the incident and left her there after divorcing her. Later, Karim gave his younger daughter as a tawaan (ransom) to Ibrahim Salarni and got Hanifa married off in the Turbat area. My house is considered a safe haven for the victims. Even Tehsildars (local revenue officer) bring these unfortunate women to my residence for shelter because there is no institution, such as a crisis center, to offer protection and accommodation to such victims, she said. Fortunately, Mengal draws her strength from her family. She belongs to a family of notable Baloch leaders and both her father, Late Arbab Ghulam Ali, and her husband Mir Ghulam Qadir, have supported her undertaking. Around ten years ago when I began to work on this human rights violation, I planned a seminar at district assembly hall and contacted the district authorities for permission. The then Deputy Commissioner plainly refused saying he could not allow taking the risk of having an open discussion on such a sensitive issue with both men and women together, and that it might even result in an armed conflict, narrated Mengal. A little 45

6 Sullied Honor, Black Honor perturbed, she spoke to her husband who suggested she hold the meeting in her house. I invited a number of community members and the chief guests of the seminar were the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of the area. They were stunned to see a nonsegregated audience. That first seminar went very well. After that, we were allowed to organize similar sessions at public places with the support of donors, said Mengal. To date, she has saved the lives of several women. In many cases, we even managed to get these girls married off or safely return to their parents. The burying alive of the women was an unfortunate incident that resulted merely due to taunting remarks of one tribal notable to the other. The victims were innocent to the best of my understanding. Why had the men not been brought before the same tribal court? asked Mengal. She strongly believes that, Education and literacy matter, as do economic empowerment of the women. I have witnessed a softening of those who are the so-called beholders of this terrible custom, whenever there are economic incentives associated with a woman. Hence, it is encouraging that people are quite interested in getting their girls educated and later serve as teachers or lady health workers. This case study has been authored by Dr. Suleman Qazi. During its compilation expert opinion on the subject was sought from Dr. Fauzia Marri, Advisor to Chief Minister of Balochistan. 46

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