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PAKISTAN: A dual murder of a woman and a man in the pretext of honor killing

June 8, 2004

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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM

9 June 2004
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UA-64-2004: PAKISTAN: A dual murder of a woman and a man in the pretext of honor killing

PAKISTAN: Honor killings; Violence against women; Rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by another "honor killing" case reported from the Shikarpur district, Sindh Province, Pakistan. According to the information we have received, the dual murder of a Mr. Manzoor Ahmed and Mrs. Begum took place in Ali Mohammad Lund Village near Jagan Village, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan on 31 May 2004. Three unknown persons killed these two victims and concealed their bodies at unknown place to hide their crime. The whereabouts of the bodies of the victims are still unknown. Later, the case was registered by the police on behalf of the State at the Jagan Police Station on 3 June 2004 after a human rights group reported this case to the District Police Officer (DPO).

However, the parents of the victims nor the village members do not speak about the fact of the incident because of community pressure. It is alleged that a local tribal chief, Mr. Kora Khan Bhayo, who had pressurized the police not to register the FIR, urged the families of the victims for a private settling of the matter. Even though the case was registered, there has yet been no proper investigation by the police into this case. Your urgent action is required to pressure the local authorities to conduct a thorough and speedy inquiry into this matter without delay.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim:
1) Ms. Begum, wife of Mohammad Shareef, of Lund tribe
2) Mr. Manzoor Ahmed (married), son of Ali Mohammad, of Lund tribe
Alleged perpetrator: three unknown (stated by the complainant)
Date of incident: At around 4:00pm on 31 May 2004
Case reported on: At around 7:30pm on 3 June 2004 at Jagan Police Station at Humaayoon by the Sub-Inspector Zafar Ali
Place of incident: Ali Mohammad Lund Village near Jagan village, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan

Case Details:

It has been brought to the attention of the Asian Human Rights Commission that a dual killing has taken place in the Shikarpur district, the same district where recently another double murder in the name of "honor" caused Aabida and Tahmeena Bhutto their deaths. (Tahmeena and Aabida were killed because they visited the home of their grandparents without permission. AHRC has previously issued Urgent Appeal regarding this case: FA-12-2004)

The dual murder of a Mr. Manzoor Ahmed and Mrs. Begum took place in Ali Mohammad Lund Village near Jagan Village, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan on 31 May 2004.

The case was initially not registered at the police station. According to our source, the Station House Officer (SHO) Watch and Ward, Mr. Zafar Ali Shaikh, the Sub Inspector of the Jagan Police Station, initially had refused to register a First Information Report (FIR) when one of the relatives of the victims (the name is unknown yet) had tried to lodge the FIR. There is a strong allegation that he was responding to pressure from a local tribal chief, Mr. Kora Khan Bhayo, who had pressurized the police not to register the FIR and instead urged the families of the victims for a private settling of the matter.

However, a human rights group informed this dual murder to the District Police Officer (DPO) Shikarpur Mr. Khameeso Khan Memon and the DPO assured to conduct simultaneous investigation. After the investigation report acknowledged that the information is accurate, the DPO eventually ordered the Station House Officer (SHO) Mr. Zafar Ali, the Sub Inspector of the Jagan Police Station, who had refused to register the case, to register the FIR regarding the incident. On the intervention of the DPO, the case then was lodged at Jagan Police Station in Humaayoon, Taluka, Shikarpur on 3 June 2004 by Mr. Zafar Ali on behalf of the State making himself the complainant. (FIR No.26/2004 Section 302-201 PPC/34). After the FIR was lodged, Sub Inspector Mr. Asad Soomra became the person in charge of conducting an inquiry into this case.

In the FIR, it is mentioned that the police has received secret information about the dual murder of the above-mentioned victims on the pretext of "honor killings". After the investigation, the police found out that three unknown persons killed the victims on this pretext. Further, the dead bodies of the victims were concealed by the perpetrators at an unknown place. However, the police said that the people of the village are still concealing the facts, and nobody is willing to reveal the story about the incident to the police due to the community pressure.

It is reported that all the village members have been pressured to say that no such incident had happened. Even the parents of the victims are reluctant to speak about the incident because they fear if anyone divulges the truth of the incident, the bodies of the victims will be recovered and the case challenged in the court and a tribal jirga (a local council) might be prohibited. Mr. Kora Khan Bhaya, a tribal chief and the most influential figure of the village, has allegedly influenced the case.

Though the FIR has been submitted, the bodies of the victims have still not been recovered and the relatives of the victims continue to refuse to pursue the case with the police. Both facts point to a silence that engulfs the whole community and allows the perpetrators to go free.

AHRC requires a thorough investigation into this murder that will allow for the immediate recovery of the bodies. We also request you to call the Regional Police Officer (RPD), Sukkur and officer of the DPO Investigation & Operation Department, Shikarpur and demand speedy and thorough investigation of this serious case. The contact information of these officers is given below.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter, fax or email to following addresses and express your concern about this serious case.

1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: CE@pak.gov.pk

2.Hon. Mr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan
Governor Govt. of Sindh
Governor House Karachi
Tel: +92 21 9201201-3
E-mail: governor@governorsindh.gov.pk

3. Mr. Sayed Kamal Shah
Provincial Police Officer, Sindh Police
Central Police Office Karachi
Tel: +92 21 9212626-7
Fax: +92 21 9212051

4. Mr. Rahoo Khan Brohi
Regional Police Officer
Sukkur Region
Airport Road Sukkur
Tel: +92 71 30547, 30248
Fax: +92 71 31824

5. Mr. Khameso Khan Memon
District Police Office (DPO) Operation,
District Shikarpur,
Police Head Quarters Shikarpur
Tel: +92-761-515077, 512309
Fax: +92-761-512369

6. Mr. Fida Hussain Mastoi
District Police Office (DPO) Investigation
District Shikarpur,
Police Head Quarters Shikarpur
Tel: +92-761-515077, 512378
Fax. +92-761-512369

7. Syed Sultan Shah
Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
Tel: + 92 51 920 3464
Fax: + 92 51 9203119

8. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
OHCHR-UNOG
Palais Wilson, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix,
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: 41 22 917 9022

Sample letter:

Dear,

Re: PAKISTAN: A dual murder of a woman and a man in the pretext of honor killing

Name of the victim:
1) Ms. Begum, wife of Mohammad Shareef, of Lund tribe
2) Mr. Manzoor Ahmed (married), son of Ali Mohammad, of Lund tribe
Alleged perpetrator: three unknown (stated by the complainant)
Date of incident: At around 4:00pm on 31 May 2004
Case reported on: At around 7:30pm on 3 June 2004 at Jagan Police Station at Humaayoon by the Sub-Inspector Zafar Ali
Place of incident: Ali Mohammad Lund Village near Jagan village, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan

It is with great concern that we hear about yet another "honor killing". An apparent flaw in the response of the police further threatens the legal remedy and protection of ordinary citizens. That people are unwilling to reveal what they know is another indication of immense social pressure and insecurity.

The practice of honor killings must end, and the silence that allows its further practice must be broken.

I urge the police to immediately launch a thorough and full investigation of the double murder case and to ensure a prompt disclosure of the victim's bodies. It is also vital that the family and the village give their full testimony in an environment that enables them to do so.

It is also of great concern that we understand that people, including the police and the law enforcement agencies, are being pressurized by the local tribal chief to keep silent. A full inquiry into this matter must be conducted as well. Lastly I urge you to prohibit a tribal jirga and handle the case in accordance with the law.

Sincerely yours,


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Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-64-2004
Countries :
Issues :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.