'Honour Killings' in Pakistan and Compliance of ... - Aurat Foundation

24. The police can play a very negative role by avoiding or refusing to
file cases of honour killings. When they do report them, the FIRs
are gender biased and made to sound as if the woman had a ‘bad’
character; therefore there was justification in killing her. They do
not always categorise the FIRs correctly, leading to lost or
inaccurate data. The police, unfortunately, is also known for its
corruption.
25. Minimal or incorrect facts regarding the incident recorded in the
FIRs by the police are often used to shield the perpetrator, as in
other types of cases.
26. This also leads to problems with the media, who use the words
and language in the FIR without the relevant data being reported.
Thus, the media may also convey incorrect findings.
27. With the state not willing to act with a swift, immediate and strict
response, but weakly, a message is sent out to society that such
murders are acceptable. This ‘security’ given to murderers and
potential murderers is further strengthened when the Government
appoints Senators and Ministers who are clearly anti-women and
have publically defended honour killings.
28. Murder under the pretext of ‘honour’ continues with impunity,
and all of the above mentioned findings lead to the sad conclusion
that it will continue with impunity unless strong, concerted and
decisive measures are taken to address the problems identified by
the report.
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