A Bleeding Shame: Alarming Spike in Honor Killings Rocks Pakistan’s Sindh Province

Even though it got banned, it left its traces in people’s minds, and people being people created different versions of it. This just didn’t stay in India but was brough to Pakistan as well after the partition. Today’s form of Sati is restraining women rights of education, live, medical, wedding etc. a bleeding shame is that it has made women of our society nothing, but a subject and people want to handle them as they want, an alarming increase in marital rapes, acid attacks, rapes, pedophilic cases, domestic violence etc. Women are being killed for not serving food right, for going to colleges or universities for studies, for saying “No” to a marriage proposal, honor killing being a few versions of today’s Sati practice. In many of the recorded evidence of such cases are of Zainab, Qandeel Baloch, Sana Yousaf and Bano Bibi.

Throughout the years a grim shadow has been over Pakistan especially over Sindh, with human rights activists sounding a deafening alarm over a tragic and alarming 43% surge in reported 'honor killings' locally known as Karo Kari. This horrifying escalating in gender biased violence underscores a profound societal crisis, demanding urgent and decisive state intervention. One of the recent examples of this is the incident of Bano Bibi which was reported on 21 Jul 2025 by Al Jazeera news as “Pakistan arrests 13 suspects as ‘honour killing’ video goes viral” Bano Bibi was a member of Balochi tribe, video of her family killing her went viral. For its context Bano married against her family’s will and when she returned to meet her family, unfortunate, she was killed, and her last words were “you are just allowed to kill me. Don’t touch my body after my death” this issue has highlighted a lot of palimpsestic approaches of our society like patriarchal norms, feudalism, Jirga system, weakness of law enforcement and judicial loopholes.

Starting from patriarchal narratives, as it revolves around men holding power, in village system this power cannot be challenged as it’s considered to be the foundational law of tribes and villages. Women under such rule are not allowed to be free in their choices. Since their birth their lives have been dictated by Jirga and Panchayat system. As a recent example of this, we can see the case of Bano Bibi, she ran away from her home to marry the one she loved, afterwards she returned her home to take blessings of her family, but her so called protecters i.e male members of her family shot her and her husband dead, locally this crime is termed as “Karo Kari” literally meaning black men and black women, highlights the deeply gendered and dehumanizing nature of the violence. Accusation disputes often stem from unsubstantiated rumors or are used as a pretext to eliminate a woman for reasons of inheritance, property disputes, or simply asserting male dominance. The brutal nature of the killing is often intended to send a terrifying message to the community, reinforcing patriarchal control over all women’s lives. The victims are killed not just for their actions, but for the perceived stain they have placed on the family's honor, a collective concept upheld primarily by men. Informal justice systems, or Jirgas, frequently operate parallel to state law, often issuing verdicts that effectively sanction murder for perceived transgressions like marrying outside the tribe, seeking a divorce, or even speaking to an unrelated man. This tribal 'justice' system directly undermines the country's legal framework and fosters a pervasive culture of impunity.

Unfortunately, its not only related to villages or tribe system anymore, but it can also be witnessed in big cities as well, as an example of this, is Qandeel Baloch. An actress, modal, social media personality and a feminist activist who was killed by her own brother in Multan in 2016, because she was the source of disrepute for her family.  Awareness for such cases have initiated through dramas and movies like Udari, Dhadak 2, Chipak, Cheekh, Hadsa, Akhri Station, Bol, Case No.9, Ruswai, and Baaghi are one of its great examples.

Human rights organizations are urgently demanding that the state move beyond mere legislative reform and demonstrate the political will to enforce the law and dismantle the cultural infrastructure that sanctions murder. This requires a multi-pronged approach: ensuring zero tolerance for impunity by prosecuting every case under the anti-honor killing law; strengthening law enforcement through training to resist tribal influence; and, critically, investing in socio-educational reforms. Long-term solutions involve providing education and economic empowerment for women in rural Sindh to challenge patriarchal norms and establish safe houses to protect survivors. The alarming spike in Sindh’s honor killings is a national shame and a devastating humanitarian crisis. Pakistan must act now to provide visible, unwavering justice and halt this tragic cycle of brutality.