[3][4] An honour killing is the [[murder or social group by other members, due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community.
[10] A 1999 Amnesty International report drew specific attention to "the failure of the authorities to prevent these killings by investigating and punishing the perpetrators".
Human rights advocates are in wide agreement that the reported cases do not reflect the full extent of the issue, as honour killings have a high level of support in Pakistan's rural society, and thus often go unreported.
[28] In one of the most publicized honour killing cases committed in Pakistan, Samia Sarwar was murdered by her family in the Lahore office of well-known human rights activists Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani in April 1999.
As Sarwar sought assistance for a divorce from her first cousin, her family arranged her murder after the shame felt in her attempt to marry a man of her choice.
[29] Amnesty International reported that on 27 April 2009, Ayman Udas, a Pashtun singer from the Peshawar area, was shot to death apparently by her two brothers who "viewed her divorce, remarriage and artistic career as damaging to family honour".
He alleged his eight months' pregnant daughter was tortured and murdered on 7 March 2008, by members of her village claiming that she had brought dishonour to the tribe.
Solangi's father claimed that it was orchestrated by her father-in-law, who accused her of carrying a child conceived out of wedlock, potentially with the added motive of trying to take over the family farm.
[32][33] The five victims – three teens, and two middle-aged women – were kidnapped, beaten, shot, and then buried alive because they refused the tribal leader's marriage arrangements and wanted to marry men of their own choosing.
Police investigator Mujahid quoted the father as saying: "I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it.
[43] In July 2016, popular Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her brother in an act of honour killing in Multan in the province of Punjab.
"[47] In July 2016, a British woman, Samia Shahid, flew to visit her family in Pakistan under false pretenses; she was told she needed to come immediately because her father was dying.
[49] In February 2018, a man and five accomplices opened fire on a couple in Karachi, Pakistan, killing the husband, Rozi Khan, and injuring the wife, Zainab.
[55] The Pakistani government's failure to take effective measures to end the practice of honour killings is indicative of a weakening of political institutions, corruption, and economic decline.
In 2016, Pakistan repealed the loophole which allowed the perpetrators of honour killings to avoid punishment by seeking forgiveness for the crime from another family member, and thus be legally pardoned.
[56] In some rural parts of Pakistan, the male-dominated jirga, or tribal council, decides affairs and its executive decisions take primacy over state legislation.
[59][60] Pakistan's Federal Shariat Court reformed this law in 1990 to bring it closer to the Sharia, declaring that "according to the teachings of Islam, provocation, no matter how grave and sudden it is, does not lessen the intensity of crime of murder".
[66] On 8 December 2004, under international and domestic pressure, Pakistan enacted a law that increased punishment for honour killings to prison term of seven years, or by the death penalty in the most extreme cases.
[68] In March 2005, the Pakistani parliament rejected a bill which sought to strengthen the law against the practice of honour killing declaring it to be un-Islamic.
[66] In addition to closing the loophole mentioned above, the act established a punishment of 14 years imprisonment to life in prison for crimes committed "on the pretext of honour".
[73]: 102 By ratifying CEDAW, Pakistan promises to abolish discriminatory laws and establish tribunals and public institutions to effectively protect women.
The prevalence of honour killings in Pakistan underscores the Pakistani government's systematic failure in ensuring fundamental human rights to women.
[73]: 99 IKWRO helps provide local resources for women and girls who are fleeing from dangerous situations, including honour killing.
[75] Humanity Healing International and Hope Development Organization are working together to create a trained network of Pakistani women to advocate against honour killing.
[76] The groups have a plan to train 500 women in 10 different targeted areas on how to become advocates, including holding press conferences and public rallies.
[76] The goal is to specifically target policy makers and members of the Pakistan National Assembly Standing Committee in order to effectuate change.
Emphasizing universal human rights, democracy, and global feminism, Pakistani activists seek legal reform to criminalise the practice and protect victims from abuse.
Other notable Pakistani activists working on reporting and deterring honour killings include Aitzaz Ahsan, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Shahnaz Bukhari.
[78][79][80][81][82] In June 2016, the Council of Islamic Ideology, a body of Muslim clerics which advises the government on compliance of laws with the Shariah, has "decreed that honour killings are un-Islamic".
[85] Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a Canadian-Pakistani journalist, created the documentary, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015), as her way to inform the world about honour killings in Pakistan and to motivate people to join the fight against the practice.