Woman Allegedly Killed in the Name of Family Honor

Adnan Bacha

Swat: A married woman was allegedly murdered in the name of honor in the Manglawar Banjot area of Swat, police sources reported on Sunday.

Following the alleged murder, local police arrested four individuals, including the victim’s husband, brother-in-law, and two brothers.

According to the police, the 25-year-old woman was accused of misbehavior. She was first killed with a sharp instrument and then thrown down a hill. Upon receiving information about the incident, the police arrived at the scene, retrieved the woman’s body, and shifted it to a hospital for medico-legal formalities.

The arrested individuals include the woman’s husband, brother-in-law, and two biological brothers. 

Local sources indicate that the victim leaves behind a daughter. She had been staying at her mother’s house for the past week due to conflicts with her husband, who returned to his mother-in-law’s house last night and took his wife with him.

According to police sources, the husband and his accomplices first cut the woman’s throat and then discarded her body down the hill. The husband claimed that his wife’s character was questionable.

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In the suburbs of Swat, honor killings have become a routine occurrence, with many men and women falling victim in the past. 

A recent study report by The Awakening, a local non-governmental organization focused on women’s rights, states that at least ten women and three men have been killed in the area since January 2024, while 28 women have been murdered and four women’s suicides have been reported in other incidents.

Irfan Babak, director of The Awakening, stated that there has been an increase in honor killings this year, with many accused individuals being acquitted. “The accused are acquitted due to a lack of evidence and loopholes in police investigations,” Babak explained.

Imran Amin, a senior journalist covering human rights issues, noted that in many cases, families do not report the incidents out of fear of infamy, or the killers are released to seek revenge. “Due to poverty, many families accept financial compensation in exchange for silence, which leads to the acquittal of the accused,” Amin added.

Analysts believe that the increase in such incidents can be attributed to a lack of education and awareness of rights. They argue that strict legislation and harsher penalties could help reduce the occurrence of honor killings.