Kohistan girl murder blamed on state, judicial system. A human rights activist Dr Farzana Bari blamed the state and judicial system for the horrific honour killing that took place in the remote valley of Kohistan, which had allegedly been triggered by a viral video.
It has been reported that a young girl has been murdered, while another has been rescued by the police after a video featuring both of them went viral on social media about four days ago, also involving boys. In a report released by the police, it is stated that a local jirga gave orders for the girl to be killed by her own family.
It is believed that the incident occurred in the Barsharyal village in the Kolai-Palas district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is located 150 km northwest of Mansehra, which now falls under the division of Hazaras.
It was reported by The News that following the killing, the boys went into hiding while the other girl was returned to her family after appearing before the magistrate, where she was handed over to her family.
She said she was angry, upset and depressed after hearing about the killing of the girl, who was a member of the three-member commission that probed the 2011 video scandal in a Kohistan village, which she was a member of.
She told Geo.tv during a phone call that the perpetrators of the 2011 video case were recently released, and that the case has yet again sparked a similar trend of honour killings in Kohistan that needs to be stopped.
“The event that occurred in 2011 would not have occurred if the men involved had been severely punished. In a conversation with Geo.tv, she said, “Everyone in Kohistan knows that the previous culprits have been released. Now that they have been released, the previous culprits are threatening to kill the remaining three of the seven Kohistani brothers.
The rescued girl’s safety was Bari’s main concern, he said there would be a murder before long even though she is still at risk of being murdered.
It is likely that her family has misled her in some way. It is my belief that this girl would be killed within a few days if the mindset which exists in this area prevails.”
There was a bit of a skepticism about why the first girl was killed while the second girl was spared, according to Bari, when asked why one girl was killed and the other was spared.
She reiterated that she does not believe in the system and that she has no trust in it.
In addition, she mentioned that there was a sense of fear among people about making such decisions as a result of the arrest and imprisonment of the perpetrators as a result of their crimes.
There is a need to think about what message has been conveyed through the release of those individuals to that area. There is no big deal if they are sentenced to four to five years in jail. It is hardly a big deal to them. Despite being released, they are more than likely to continue vengeance after being released. According to her, they believe that it is a rational way of life and see it as a rational way of living.
There was also an assurance from the police that they would protect the men, but the human rights activist expressed that she was not satisfied with their assurances. In the aftermath of the culprits’ release, the brothers have been threatening to kill them ever since they were released. As a result, they attempt to save their lives in order to save their lives.
In her view, the state does not exist in the lives of most people and the system is being manipulated by these masked perpetrators that happen to be well off and can buy off the system, including the police and the judiciary, to manipulate it in their favor.
The police have begun an investigation into the incident
There was a medical examination performed on the body of the murdered girl before it was handed over to the family of the victim after her body was taken to a nearby health facility for medico-legal procedures.
One of the two girls, whose video went viral, has been found dead, Masood Khan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Palas, has informed journalists, while the other girl was rescued and brought before a local magistrate to give a statement to the police.
According to Khan, the girl stated that her family was not a threat to her life and she wanted to remain with her family rather than be transferred to Dar-ul-Aman as was ordered by the authorities.
It was reported that under sections 302/311 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Palas police station made a first information report regarding the murder by himself.
There has been an investigation launched to trace those involved in the killing of the girl as well as those who either advising or convening the jirga that sentenced the girl to death,” he said.
In the DSP’s words, no one is above the law, and the law will take care of those responsible for brutal killings in any way that can be possibly done.
During such murders committed with the intent of honour, the jirga declares men and women as the culprits, and they are then eliminated from the society.
There has been a similar chilling incident that has left the country shocked more than ten years ago after five women were murdered on a jirga decree in 2011 after their video clapping to the tunes of a man dancing at a family event, went viral.
The three brothers of the man in the video were also killed later, while the case was raised by their other brother, Afzal Kohistani, who was also killed in March 2019 in Abbottabad as a result of severe threats made against him in 2012.
Taking an interest in the case and garnering international attention, the case was brought before the Supreme Court in 2013 where the then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took the matter under suo motu notice and sentenced the individuals involved in the case to life in prison.
That news provided by timenews in pakistan
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