December 2, 2025
By Kaleem Ullah
LAHORE
November 19 was a dark day for women in Pakistan, when a 39 year old pregnant woman, Shamshan Bibi, was brutally killed, while she was praying, in the name of honour in the Paash Ziarat area of South Waziristan.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Makin Police Station, Shamshana Bibi was murdered and secretly buried by her husband’s family in the name of honour. The FIR notes that although the victim’s relatives did not want to file a report or pursue the case, they did confirm that the killing took place. Since honour based killing is a cognisable offence, police registered the case under Sections 302 and 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
After a 10-day delay in the filing of the FIR, journalist and social activist Razia Mehsud expressed relief and satisfaction over the registration of the case.
“Alhamdulillah, the FIR for the woman killed in the name of ‘honour’ in Waziristan has finally been registered,” she said in a Facebook post. “When voices were raised, the state did pick up the pen — but the real question still remains: when will the accused be arrested?”
Sharing further details, she added that in Waziristan, a pregnant woman — a mother of three — was killed on her prayer mat during Asr prayers. Yet the entire system of Upper Waziristan — the administration, police, special branch, and legal institutions — all had remained ‘unaware.’
“A woman is murdered, buried, and a whole week passes with no one knowing. And if they do know, they choose silence.”
In several regions of Pakistan—particularly parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas where tribal customs remain strong and conservative norms dominate—honour-related killings are often handled discreetly within families. Many cases are settled without informing the police, as reporting such incidents is perceived as “dishonourable” and believed to bring shame to the family.
Local media also face pressure from communities not to report such cases. Journalists acknowledge the severity of honour killings in the region but say they are often unable to report them. They explain that covering sensitive issues involving women in deeply conservative tribal societies has previously led to threats and backlash, with communities invoking Pashtunwali, the traditional Pashtun code of conduct, to resist such reporting.
Last week, Senator Sherry Rehman, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum, said that the reporting of 32,617 cases of gender-based violence across Pakistan in 2024 is extremely alarming. Sharing the data, she highlighted 5,339 rape cases, 24,439 kidnappings, 2,238 incidents of domestic violence, and 547 honour killings reported nationwide. She added that the conviction rate of only 0.5% for rape and honour killings reflects the collapse of the justice system, while the 1.3% conviction rate for domestic violence cases poses a serious threat to women’s safety.
She further noted that, on average, Pakistan reports 67 kidnappings, 19 rapes, 6 domestic-violence incidents, and 2 honour killings every day.
In Punjab, 26,753 cases of gender-based violence were recorded, including 225 honour killings, but only two convictions were secured. Among 4,641 rape cases, the conviction rate was just 0.4%, and out of 20,720 kidnapping cases, only 16 suspects were convicted.
In Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) 3,397 cases of gender-based violence were reported, including 134 honour killings, with only two resulting in convictions. The province recorded 258 rape cases with just one conviction, and 943 kidnapping cases, also yielding only one conviction.