News Desk
The names change, the locations vary, but the pattern remains chillingly familiar.
A young Pakistani woman is accused of bringing shame upon her family. Relatives become judge, jury and executioner. The killing is justified in the language of honour, tradition and family reputation.
Another life ends, another investigation begins, and another debate erupts over a crime that Pakistan has spent decades promising to eradicate but continues to witness with disturbing regularity.
The recent discussion in the Sindh Assembly surrounding the killing of Rubina Chandio has once again brought the issue of so-called honour killings into national focus.
Legislators condemned the crime, rights activists renewed calls for accountability, and officials reiterated commitments to protecting women.
Yet beneath the official statements lies an uncomfortable reality: despite legal reforms, public awareness campaigns and international scrutiny, women continue to be murdered by family members in the name of honour across Pakistan.
The persistence of these killings reveals more than individual acts of brutality. It exposes deep structural failures within law enforcement, the justice system and broader social attitudes that continue to tolerate violence against women.
Nearly a decade after landmark legal reforms aimed at closing loopholes that allowed perpetrators to escape punishment, honour killings remain one of the most visible symbols of Pakistan’s struggle to protect women from gender-based violence.
A crime that refuses to disappear
Honour killings have long occupied a dark place within Pakistan’s human rights landscape. Although precise figures remain difficult to establish because of underreporting and misclassification, rights organisations continue to document hundreds of cases annually.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the Aurat Foundation and international organisations have repeatedly warned that official statistics likely capture only a fraction of the true scale of the problem.
Many cases are disguised as suicides, accidents or unexplained deaths. Others never reach police records because families, local communities and influential actors suppress investigations before they begin.
Recent incidents have reinforced these concerns. The killing of Rubina Chandio in Sindh generated widespread attention because it reflected a pattern familiar to human rights observers.
Similar cases have surfaced across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in recent years, involving women targeted over marriage choices, relationships, social interactions or allegations of behaviour deemed inappropriate by relatives.
Several high-profile honour killing cases have captured national headlines in recent years, including incidents involving social media personalities, students and young women seeking greater autonomy over their lives.
Yet for every case that attracts public attention, many others pass with little scrutiny outside local communities.
The persistence of these crimes demonstrates that honour killings are not isolated acts committed in exceptional circumstances. They remain embedded within social structures that continue to place family reputation above women’s lives.
Beyond poverty and illiteracy
One of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding honour killings is the belief that they occur primarily in impoverished or remote rural communities.
The debate in the Sindh Assembly challenged that assumption directly. Officials acknowledged that honour killings are not confined to marginalised areas or communities lacking education.
Cases increasingly emerge from influential families, urban centres and households with significant social or economic standing.
Human rights experts argue that wealth and education do not necessarily eliminate patriarchal attitudes. In many cases, influence simply creates stronger mechanisms for suppressing scrutiny and avoiding accountability.
Families with political connections, tribal authority or economic power often possess greater capacity to influence witnesses, shape public narratives and exert pressure on investigators.
The result is a culture in which violence can be concealed behind social prestige and institutional weakness.
This reality complicates efforts to address honour killings because it demonstrates that the problem is not solely economic or educational. Rather, it reflects deeply entrenched beliefs regarding male authority, family control and women’s autonomy that persist across different segments of society.
Legal reform meets weak enforcement
Pakistan’s most significant legislative response to honour killings came in 2016, following intense domestic and international pressure generated by the murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch.
The anti-honour killing law introduced that year sought to close a longstanding loophole that allowed families to forgive perpetrators and secure reduced sentences or release.
Because honour killings are frequently committed by relatives, the previous legal framework often enabled families to effectively pardon the offender, undermining accountability.
The reforms were widely welcomed at the time as a major step forward.
Yet nearly ten years later, rights groups argue that implementation has fallen far short of expectations.
Police investigations remain inconsistent, particularly in rural areas where local power structures exert significant influence.
Human rights organisations continue to document cases in which crime scenes are poorly examined, evidence is mishandled, or witnesses face intimidation.
In some instances, investigators reportedly accept family explanations without conducting thorough inquiries. Allegations of suicide or accidental death often go unchallenged despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
The gap between legislation and enforcement has become one of the central criticisms of Pakistan’s response to honour killings.
Shadow of informal justice
The continued influence of informal justice mechanisms presents another major challenge.
In parts of Pakistan, jirgas and tribal councils continue to wield considerable authority despite operating outside the formal judicial framework. Human rights advocates have repeatedly criticised these forums for reinforcing discriminatory practices and legitimising violence against women.
Cases involving forced marriages, exchange marriages and honour-related disputes frequently intersect with informal dispute-resolution mechanisms. Although Pakistani courts have declared many such practices illegal, implementation remains uneven.
Rights organisations argue that the jirga culture contributes to a broader social environment in which honour-based violence is normalised rather than universally condemned.
Decisions reached through these structures often prioritise family or community interests over individual rights, particularly those of women.
The persistence of informal justice systems highlights the limits of legal reform when social norms remain resistant to change.
Women continue to face systemic violence
Honour killings represent only one aspect of a wider crisis of gender-based violence in Pakistan.
Women continue to face domestic abuse, forced marriage, workplace harassment, acid attacks and other forms of violence across the country.
According to rights organisations, honour killings attract particular attention because they expose the intersection of gender discrimination, family control and societal complicity.
Recent years have seen several widely publicised cases involving violence against women that sparked national outrage but failed to generate lasting structural change.
Activists argue that each incident reveals recurring weaknesses in protection mechanisms and accountability systems.
The problem is compounded by fear and social pressure. Many women experiencing threats or violence hesitate to seek help because they fear retaliation, social stigma or institutional indifference.
In some cases, victims who approach authorities are reportedly encouraged to reconcile with family members rather than pursue legal protection.
This environment creates significant barriers to justice and reinforces patterns of impunity.
A culture of silence and rationalisation
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of honour killings is the degree to which they continue to be rationalised within sections of society.
Human rights advocates note that honour-related violence is often discussed as a family matter rather than recognised as premeditated murder. This framing minimises the severity of the crime and shifts attention away from the victim.
Media coverage, community responses and even official statements sometimes reflect this tendency by focusing on family disputes or alleged provocations rather than the deliberate act of killing.
The persistence of such narratives contributes to an environment in which perpetrators continue to find sympathy or justification for their actions.
Critics argue that as long as honour remains associated with controlling women’s choices, mobility and relationships, the conditions that enable these crimes will persist regardless of legislative changes.
Pakistan’s unfinished struggle
Nearly a decade after major legal reforms, honour killings remain a grim feature of Pakistan’s human rights landscape.
The continued murder of women in the name of family reputation demonstrates the limits of legislation when enforcement remains weak and social attitudes remain deeply entrenched.
Cases such as the killing of Rubina Chandio illustrate how violence continues to thrive within a system where investigations are frequently compromised, witnesses face pressure, and powerful actors often escape scrutiny.
The persistence of informal justice mechanisms and patriarchal norms further undermines accountability.
The tragedy is not merely that women continue to die. It is that these killings occur despite years of promises, reforms and public condemnation.
Every new case exposes the same failures: weak enforcement, institutional hesitation and a society that too often treats violence against women as a private matter rather than a profound violation of human rights.
