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Civil society protests honour killing of women

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The protesting activists of civil society on Monday temporarily prevented some senators from entering parliament house and shouted slogans against Senator Israrullah Zehri for defending the killing of five women in Balochistan.

Members of prominent NGOs attended the protest organised by the Women’s Action Forum in front of parliament house.

The protestors termed Balochistan incident, in which five women were buried alive in the name of honour, barbaric. They raised the slogans of “Bring Zehri out” while holding placards some of which read “Killing women is no honour” and “It’s a shameful act.”

Zehri had said in the Senate that killing women for honour was a demand of the tribal tradition and called upon members not to politicise the issue. The protestors demanded that the Senate pass a resolution condemning the incident.

Naeem Mirza of Aurat Foundation said that the government was purposely trying to avoid the issue. “It is surprising that Pakistan People’s Party, which has been in the forefront of speaking against such issues in the past is now keeping mum,” he said.

Had Benazir Bhutto been alive, this matter would not have gone unnoticed, as is being done now by the PPP leadership, Mirza said.

Human rights activist Tahira Abdullah said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had not even condemned the incident though he was in Balochistan’s capital city of Quetta the other day.

The participants, who remained gathered for a considerable time, called for registration of an FIR against the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Samar Minallah, another activist, said that such killing was simply a barbaric tradition and must end. “Our heads hang in shame,” she added.

The participants criticized those in the government who remained silent on the matter. “Shame on them, shame on them,” they shouted. The Interior Ministry on Monday formed an inquiry committee to probe the matter.

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