May 5, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Yet another incident of an ‘honour’ based killing, this time in Sindh’s Sukkur District, has sent waves of shock, anger and shame throughout the province. This is one of the many incidents of honour based killings in Sindh – especially in upper Sindh, where there is much more influence of the feudal structure of power in place. The last incident that reached the headlines was that of Rubina aka Khalida Chandio who was declared as kari and publicly shot dead in her village, by her own uncles, while the villagers watched.
The victim this time was a young woman, a mother of two children, Gullaan Bharo, a resident of the village, Goth Shah Bakhsh Bharo, District Sukkur.
Social activist Sattar Zangejo, told Voicepk that Gullaan had separated from her violent husband and had been living with her father since the past two or three years, however she had not sought khula.
While it continues to remain unclear if she was meeting another man outside her marriage, her husband declared her kari and said she was liable to be killed. Gullan fled from her husband after this, making her way to the nearest police station.
“The area is in the kacha (riverine) area and the manner in which she hurriedly fled from her husband and his accomplices could be seen on her face and body which were full of cuts and scratches possibly from bush thorns, as she crossed the river and the adjoining area,” said Sattar. “She finally reached the Ghulam Bund police station, also called Mundo Dehro, a small police station in the kacha.”
The police immediately took custody of the woman and started work on a challan (report) which they submitted the next day in court.
“This was a shockingly unprecedented move by the police. If you see past records in many police stations, usually they send the girl back, or refuse to accommodate her, leaving her open to danger,” said Amar Sindhu, one of the leaders of Women’s Action Forum (WAF) in the Hyderabad chapter. “The police played a very positive role, and gave the girl protection.”
Court directives
The next day the girl was brought in court and the judge gave directives for her to be transferred to the Darul Aman for her protection. However no other verbal or written directives were given by the judge which could further shield the woman from any violence.
As she came out of the court room, her father laid his headdress (pag) at her feet – a sign of desperation as if placing his ‘honour; at her feet – requesting her to come home with him.
“At first even in a video released on social media, we can see that the police officer kept pushing the father back, discouraging them from pressurising her in any way. Eventually he came and put his pag at her feet, while her mother begged her to return,” said Sattar. “Gullan had been saying since the beginning that she wanted to be transferred to the Darul Aman, however, the moment her father made this demand, she knew.
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In a video interview she made a clear statement saying in Sindhi, “I know I will be killed. I am a mother of two children, but for the sake of my father’s dignity I will sacrifice myself and go back to live with him.’
This was on April 24. On May 2, she was killed after her husband and his uncle burst into her home and shot her with a Klashnikov, said Sattar.
“Gullan had also expressed a clear desire to go to Darul Aman, but since her father Imdad Bharo made his desperate plea, assuring her protection, she changed her mind. But no protection was given to her – not from her father, nor from the State.”
Meanwhile according to her statement to the police, Gullan had also taken some names of those who were a danger to her life – including her husband Sikki Lagau, and his uncle Maula Bakhsh – both of whom have been arrested. An FIR has been filed under Section 302, for a more air tight case. The police say that they are trying to find the others who have absconded.
The patriarchal set up
The case has once again raised serious questions about the safety of women, even those who seek protection from domestic violence and the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms in honour-related crimes.
Activists in Sindh have condemned the prevalence of the intensely patriarchal and sexist social set up in many of the areas – especially in upper Sindh and in feudal areas, where the mindset is not ready to accept even ‘the existence of women’.
The statistics on honour based killings are difficult to obtain and are inaccurate due to under-reporting of such incidents. The reasons for the under-reporting include the unwillingness of victims’ family members to come forward; the criminality of these murders is not recognised within the social and cultural contexts in which they occur.
In upper Sindh, in particular, the reporting is stalled with the interplay between feudal, tribal and patriarchal values governing all aspects of the lives of women and treating them as ‘objects’.
The customs, traditions and practices are often an expression of these values; women are treated as objects, used for one’s own purpose such as provided as compensation to the enemy to settle disputes, sold, bought, exchanged, damaged and killed. This objectification is further manifested in the form of association of females to the honour of men, family and community. In the South Asian region there is a well-known proverb zan, zar, zameen (woman, wealth and land) and it is generally believed that the honour of a man is associated with these three. These can become a bone of contention and a man can kill or be killed for them.
Women are placed in this trio with two other ‘objects’, wealth and land; so, by association, women are considered as objects like wealth and land. In the case of honour based crimes, the female body is considered as an ‘object’, which holds family honour, when that body is seen to be a threat to so-called honour then it is punished with beating, burning, sexual abuse and murder.
Amar Sindhu decries the way such cases unfold. Not only is the crime committed, in the backdrop of the situation, the karo (boy) is let off through paying off the girl’s family a hefty amount only in order to not be named, but the kari (girl) is definitely killed.
“If you see there is a pattern of such incidents happening all the more when the wheat is newly harvested,” she said.
When wheat is harvested, farming households suddenly have cash in hand from selling their crop. In largely agrarian areas of Sindh and southern Punjab, this is one of the few times in the year when families have ready money.
That matters because in many karo kari cases the accused man (karo) or his family can pay compensation (sometimes framed as diyat or informal settlement money) and this payment can persuade the girl’s family or local jirgah to drop claims, avoid naming him, or settle the dispute quietly.
In other words, violence becomes economically negotiable, and these crimes are not just about “honour” but are often financially structured. The girl is almost always killed as she has no economic bargaining power. The boy’s side, however, can convert the accusation into a financial settlement. This creates a perverse incentive system, where accusations can lead to money extraction.
Reactions from within
Young children and women are being killed in our province in the name of honour. Cruelty has placed itself so deep in the hearts of people. My condolences to the families of Gulan Bharo, and the young infant who was murdered in Pir Wasan Shah.
— Zulfikar Ali Bhutto ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو (@BhuttoZulfikar) May 5, 2026
Gulaan was killed by her own family for wanting to escape an abusive marriage in Sindh. She reached the police to demand protection but her parents manipulated her in to returning home with them only to be killed by them in the name of honour. pic.twitter.com/xA9VXpvc8e
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) May 5, 2026
The Sindhiani Tehreek, Khairpur, has demanded that the killers of Gullan Bharo be given the appropriate punishment to set an example, so that no other girl falls victim to such a brutal mindset. “Relying on her father’s promise and word, she returned home, where she had to face such a situation at the hands of her husband,” said their statement.
Earlier SSP Azhar Khan Mughal said that the police will request a 14-day physical remand of the accused.
“The murder weapon has also been recovered, and raids are underway to arrest others who were involved.”
Lawmakers condemn
Meanwhile, the Sindh Women Development Minister Shahina Sher Ali has taken strict notice of the gruesome karo kari incident, directing immediate legal action.
Expressing deep sorrow and condemnation over the brutal murder of the mother of two, the provincial minister termed the incident as a ‘serious violation of human rights and provincial laws’. She issued immediate instructions to the concerned officers and law enforcement agencies to not tolerate any delay in the delivery of justice.
Following the instructions of the minister, the deputy director and concerned field officers have immediately contacted the police of Jhangro (Rohri) police station. Upon the intervention of the department’s high-level, the police have assured that the process of investigation has started immediately.
The provincial minister made it clear in his statement that “no one is above the law, and those who commit such barbaric crimes in the name of ‘honour’ do not deserve any concessions.” She ordered the concerned officers to continue full legal follow-up and monitoring of the case until the accused are arrested.
She said that the Women Development Department is continuously monitoring the situation and will ensure that the affected family is provided with all necessary legal assistance as per provincial protocols.
At the same time lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly on Monday, also condemned the rising incidents of karo kari.
The Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister called for provincial and federal legislation to be enforced to eradicate the heinous practice.
Responding to a point of order raised by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) member Adil Askari over the incidents of karo kari in the upper Sindh, the Law Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said that the issue existed across the country, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and emphasised that the state must take action to eliminate it.
He mentioned the recent killing of Rubina Chandio, he said there was no room for honour killing in Islam and called for nationwide legislation to end the practice.
He said that the Sindh government was ready for legislation and proposed a joint adjournment motion for the assembly to debate on the issue. He pointed out that Upper Sindh recorded the highest number of karo-kari cases compared to KP, Punjab and Balochistan.