According to Reuters, a 25 year old Pakistani woman was stoned to death by her family and husband for marrying “the man she loved”. Farzana Iqbal was said to have been waiting at a court located in Lahore when a group of men started hurling bricks at her. According to Pakistani culture this killing is deemed as an “honor killing”.
[Reuters Excerpt via MUBASHER BUKHARI]
–Her father, two brothers and former fiance were among the attackers, he said. Iqbal suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital, police said.
All the suspects except her father escaped. He admitted killing his daughter, Cheema said, and explained it was a matter of honor. Many Pakistani families think a woman marrying her own choice of man brings dishonor on the family.
Iqbal had been engaged to her cousin but married another man, Cheema said. Her family registered a kidnapping case against him but Iqbal had come to court to argue that she had married of her own free will, he said.
Around 1,000 Pakistani women are killed every year by their families in honor killings, according to Pakistani rights group the Aurat Foundation.
The true figure is probably many times higher since the Aurat Foundation only compiles figures from newspaper reports. The government does not compile national statistics.
Campaigners say few cases come to court, and those that do can take years to be heard. No one tracks how many cases are successfully prosecuted.
Even those that do result in a conviction may end with the killers walking free. Pakistani law allows a victim’s family to forgive their killer.–
It’s very unfortunate that this type of savagery is legal under Pakistani law. Though we understand everyone has their own laws and rights to abide by, Farzana Iqbal’s death was unethical in all aspects. Moreover, it’s even crazier that her death was provoked by own her family.
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