he brutal murders of women have become the “new normal” in Sindh. Not a single day goes by without the killing of a girl or a married woman. The state-elite nexus has pushed Sindh into a quagmire where women struggle for survival and do not find an easy escape.

The killings of women are broadly considered part of the Karo-Kari (black man and black woman) custom or ‘honour’ practice. This evokes the ‘honour’ of the family, particularly male members, due to accusations against the man and woman of having illicit relations. However, this presents a simplistic explanation of the custom that takes away so many precious lives. The recent cases invite us to rethink this practice and examine it in the legal and political context.

According to police reports, more than 175 women have been killed in the last three months in the province. The number of unreported cases is anybody’s guess. This indicates the failure of our law enforcement agencies and judicial system to curb this extreme form of violence against women. At the same time, it hints at the collapse of our values and norms that ensure safety, dignity and respect for women in society.

In the second week of April, a video went viral on social media. It showed a woman named Khalida Chandio being held by two men and shot before a mob. With blood coming out of her body, she fell to the ground. Later, the media reported that she had implored the men (her in-laws) not to kill her while holding the Holy Quran in her hands. They did not listen to her and shot her. The shocking incident happened in Tando Masti village of Khairpur district.

In the first week of May, Gulnaz Bharu, a mother of two, fled from her home and arrived at a police station near Rohri. She later appeared in a court in Sukkur. She said that her husband and his accomplices wanted to kill her. She had managed to leave her home to save her life. The court ordered her stay in Darul-Aman, which she agreed to. However, her father placed his turban at her feet and asked her not to do so. She chose to go with him, telling the police that she would be killed. The next day, her husband and maternal uncle took her life. Her body, riddled with bullets, was found abandoned.

These women were killed on the pretext of saving the family’s ‘honour.’ The list of such horrible incidents is long. Credible data is unavailable. Most of the cases have been reported from Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Larkana districts. “There is no authentic data on the murder of women, but whatever data is available presents a grim reality,” shares Shazia Nizamani, an advocate vocal about women’s rights. She says that due to social media, cases involving the murder of women are being exposed. She also says there is clear acceptance of the crime at the societal level so that violence against women is not considered serious.

On one hand, the judiciary and the police have failed to provide justice and security to citizens, especially women. On the other hand, the local elites are empowered to settle these cases. This raises an important question: does the state-elite nexus perpetuate violence against women?

In most of these cases, it is observed that when a girl or woman tries to exercise her legal right or agency to choose her life partner or refuses to marry a man, her family forces her to marry against her consent. If she resists her family’s wishes and marries a person of her choice, she is termed kari and murdered. The crime against women is labelled as ‘honour.’ Often such cases are either not registered by the police. They are decided by the local arbitration council or jirga.

This jirga is led by local elites described as Rais, Sardar or Wadera in Sindh. Many of the these local elites are part of the government. Some of them are members of National or Provincial Assemblies or hold important administrative positions in the government. On one hand, the judiciary and the police have failed to provide justice and security to citizens, especially women. On the other hand, the local elites are empowered to settle these cases. This raises an important question: does the state-elite nexus perpetuate violence against women?

Sharing her thoughts on the failure of state institutions and the legal system, Ms Nizamani says that, sadly, a patriarchal mindset prevails in the police and the judiciary. The complaint mechanism does not facilitate victims or survivors of violence. She says some low-ranking police officials do not know the relevant laws. Most of them view gender-based violence as a private matter. Delayed police response, weak and faulty investigations, lack of interest in prosecution and lack of awareness of laws such as the Anti-Honour Killing Act, Anti-Rape Act and Domestic Violence Act complicate the problem.

MNA Nafisa Shah, who undertook a research study as part of her doctoral dissertation on honour killing in Upper Sindh, has described violence related to the karo-kari practice as horrific. She also writes that accusations of karo-kari are sometimes embedded in family feuds, power struggles and disputes over natural resources. In this context, we need to look at this malpractice beyond the social context and explore its political and legal aspects.

To address violence against women, legal experts and human-rights activists call for a multipronged strategy. They emphasise the need to strengthen laws against violence toward women and implement them in their true spirit. They suggest that the number of female officials in police and the judiciary be increased to handle violence cases efficiently. Civil society organisations and human-rights activists should come forward to sensitise the public regarding the care and protection of women.

Pardons by the victim’s family should be discouraged by the courts. Exemplary punishments should be awarded to the culprits in accordance with the law. Violence against women should be treated as a crime against the state. The judiciary should prioritise cases of violence against women and provide immediate justice to the victims’ families.

The writer is a PhD scholar in the integrative conservation and anthropology programme at the University of Georgia (UGA). USA. He tweets at @AsifSandeelo