Rights groups applaud presidential intervention to halt honour killing

Pakistani human rights groups have welcomed President General Musharraf's intervention in the case of Shaista Almani, a young woman facing the threat of an 'honour killing' for marrying outside her tribal group. "Last year, 3,748 cases of violence against women were reported around the country, out of which 1,256 directly fall under honour killing", Zia Ahmed Awan, an advocate and president of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) told IRIN from the southern port city of Karachi. Musharraf intervened by ordering the provincial government of Sindh last week to take all possible measures to ensure the woman's safety and provide suitable employment. The move followed action by civil rights groups, media and political parties, who highlighted her case as a potential victim of 'karo-kari' or honour killing, and appealed to the government to protect her. Her case is the second time in less than two months that the president has intervened in an honour killing case. "Shaista's case is a good example of the way women are being dealt with in our rural society. But the positive sign [here] is that all the forces of civil society have rallied against this potential crime and played a very constructive role, which shows that things are getting changed slowly", Nuzhat Shirin, a programme coordinator at the Aurat Foundation, an NGO working for women's rights told IRIN from Karachi. But Shirin warned that some were trying to make political capital out of the incident. "Since the case has been much politicised and become high profile, so many people with their own vested interests have taken up the cause to fulfill their own agendas." Those fighting to promote women's rights in Pakistan see the presidential moves to curtail honour killings as part of a broader trend to prioritise women's issues, particularly at legislative level. "At present, there are several initiatives being taken at the provincial as well as national legislative assemblies to amend the existing anti-women laws and adopt legislation against the honour killing and Jirga system", Waseem Wahga, a programme officer at the Aurat Foundation in the capital, Islamabad, said. A resolution moved by a parliamentarian from the ruling alliance is due to come before Pakistan's national assembly for debate during its next session, which particularly deals with the issue of honour killing. If the ruling alliance ignores pressure from conservative parliamentarians, particularly from the tribal areas, and passes the new law, it will be a major big step towards combating the heinous crime, rights activists say. In another progressive step, last month the highest court in the country empowered women to marry of their own free will without the approval of their parent or legal guardian. The custom of honour killings has different names in different parts of Pakistan, but remains prevalent throughout the country.