In southern Pakistan, a cemetery for ‘condemned’ women killed in the name of honor

A gypsy woman walks during sunset in Pakistan on January 31, 2013. (AFP/File)
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Updated 28 July 2021
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In southern Pakistan, a cemetery for ‘condemned’ women killed in the name of honor

  • 'Kariyon ka Qabristan' has around 400 graves, all belong to women killed in so called ‘honor killings’, graveyard caretaker says
  • Deputy commissioner Gotkhi denies graveyard reserved for ‘condemned women,’ government to seek explanation from local administration

DAHARKI, Sindh: In Fattu Shah, a small village in Ghotki district on the border of the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Punjab, a cemetery is reserved for women. But not just any women, the graveyard’s caretaker and local villagers say, but ‘condemned women,’ or karis, killed over perceived damage to “honor.”
Hundreds of women are murdered each year in Pakistan, mostly by family members, in so-called ‘honor killings’ that punish women for eloping, fraternizing with men or other infractions considered in defiance of conservative values that govern women’s modesty in the South Asian nation.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), 430 cases of honor killing were reported in 2020, involving 148 male and 363 female victims. Of these cases, 215 victims, 136 of them girls and women, belonged to the southern Sindh province. 
Though laws around the country forbid honor killings, rights experts say enforcement of justice is often lax in such cases, with proceedings at times being drawn out while accused killers are freed on bail and cases fade away.
Kariyon ka Qabristan, or cemetery for condemned women, as the graveyard is called, is a testament to the continuing practice. 
At least half a dozen villagers interviewed by Arab News said they knew of women who had been killed in the name of honor and buried in the graveyard in Fattu Shah. 
Ali Nawaz, the 67-year-old caretaker of the four-decade-old cemetery, said there were at least 400 graves there, all of whom belonged to women killed in the name of honor. 
“Burials have decreased over the last few years, but women are still being killed in the name of honor,” he told Arab News. 
Among the ‘condemned women’ is Naseeran Chanesar, the aunt of 21-year-old shepherd Ilah Bux, who said he was ten when his mother’s sister ‘disappeared’ from her village home in 2013. 
For days, Bux kept asking his mother where Chanesar was, he told Arab News: “It was on the third day that a villager whispered in my ears that she had been buried in Kariyon ka Qabristan.”
Bux said he did not know which grave in the cemetery was his aunt’s: “The only person I could ask is my mother, but she also doesn’t know the exact grave.”
Nawaz the caretaker said no visitors came to the graveyard even on religious holidays such as the Eid festivals, or in the holy month of Ramadan, when many Muslims visit the graves of their family members and friends. 
“Many graves have decayed over the years and are no longer visible,” he said, “and if someone even tries to come here, they cannot identify their loved ones.”
Another lost grave is of Gul Bano who was killed by her elder brother in 2014, Bano’s cousin Murad Mehar said. 
“On every Shab-e-Barat [major event in the Islamic calendar] when people go to graveyards to offer fateha [prayers] at the graves of their loved ones, we see Bano’s mother weeping in a corner of her house, remembering the daughter she can’t visit,” Mehar told Arab News. 
While nearly all villagers spoke on condition of anonymity, Zarka Shar, an activist from Beruth, another village in Ghotki, said a graveyard had been reserved for victims of honor killings “because even after death, these ‘karis’ are not considered worthy to be buried in normal graveyards.”
“No rituals are performed for those killed and they are buried without being bathed,” she added. “This graveyard was built to spread fear.”
Shar said though the number of honor killings and subsequent burials in the graveyard had declined after the media had shone a spotlight on the practice in recent years, “there is still fear.”
“Even now if someone is buried, no one reveals it,” Shar said. “The administration ... does not take any action on this lawlessness. People are afraid to talk. The women are helpless. If one is a victim, others are silent mourners.”
But Usman Abdullah, the deputy commissioner of Gotkhi, denied that the graveyard in question was reserved for karis. 
Murtaza Wahab, a spokesperson for the Sindh government, acknowledged that incidents of honor killing occurred in the province but said he was not aware of a graveyard specifically for karis. 
“I will summon a report from the local administration,” he added. 
But Mehnaz Rehman, executive director at Aurat foundation, told Arab News the graveyard existed and she had visited it several years ago as part of a fact-finding mission.
“There are painful stories,” she said. “We saw the grave of a mother who we were told was killed and buried there because she had dared to challenge customs.”


Sinclair, Warrican spin Pakistan to 230 all out in first Test against West Indies

Updated 18 January 2025
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Sinclair, Warrican spin Pakistan to 230 all out in first Test against West Indies

  • Warrican finished with 3-69 and Sinclair 2-61 as Pakistan lost six wickets for just 87 runs
  • The hosts resumed the day on 143-4, following 30-minute delay because of poor visibility

MULTAN: Spinners Jomel Warrican and Kevin Sinclair led a West Indies charge with five wickets between them to dismiss Pakistan for 230 on the second day of the first Test in Multan.
Warrican finished with 3-69 and Sinclair 2-61 as Pakistan lost six wickets for just 87 runs after resuming the day on 143-4, following another 30-minute delay because of poor visibility.
Saud Shakeel (84) and Mohammad Rizwan (71) top-scored for the hosts.
Sinclair sparked the batting collapse with Shakeel’s wicket off the first ball after drinks as Pakistan lost four wickets off 28 balls for just 13 runs.
Last to go was Sajid Khan, who hit a boundary and a six in his rapid 18 before Warrican bowled him on the stroke of lunch.
Fast bowler Jayden Seales finished with 3-27, all his wickets coming on Friday.
Overnight batsmen Shakeel and Rizwan cautiously looked to build a competitive total, taking the score to 187 before the wickets began to tumble.
Sinclair drew Shakeel forward on a spinning delivery and the ensuing edge was well taken by wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach.
Shakeel’s 84 off 157 deliveries had six boundaries.
He added an invaluable 141 for the fifth wicket with Rizwan, lifting Pakistan from a precarious 46-4 on day one.
From the other end left-armer Warrican bowled Salman Agha off an inside edge for two while Noman Ali was run out without scoring.
Sinclair then trapped Rizwan leg-before off a missed reverse sweep, turning the not-out decision in his favor after a West Indies review.
Rizwan’s 133-ball stay had nine boundaries.


PM calls for robust cargo scanning system to improve Pakistan’s prospects as regional trade hub

Updated 18 January 2025
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PM calls for robust cargo scanning system to improve Pakistan’s prospects as regional trade hub

  • The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a regional trade and transit hub by leveraging its strategic geopolitical position
  • This week, UAE’s DP World and Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed officials to establish a world-class cargo scanning system in the commercial hub of Karachi and other major trade centers in Pakistan to improve the country’s prospects as a regional trade and transit hub, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.
Sharif issued the directives at a meeting to review transit cargo and tracking system in the federal capital of Islamabad, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a regional trade and transit hub by leveraging its strategic geopolitical position.
Sharif instructed officials to ensure the implementation of modern technology and abolish the obsolete system of tracking, tracing and scanning cargo.
“Pakistan will become a hub of transit trade for other regional countries due to its integrated communication system and better tracking of cargo,” he was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan.
Pakistan, faced with a prolonged economic meltdown, has witnessed a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity involving officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China and Central Asian nations in recent months.
This week, Emirati multinational logistics company DP World, in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation (NLC), launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi, Pakistani state media reported.
The weekly service promises faster and more reliable container delivery, directly benefiting the business community and boosting economic activity in the region.
Sharif said there had been a significant decrease in smuggling due to Pakistan’s efforts to improve cargo tracking system.
“Due to curtailing smuggling, sugar worth 211 million dollars was exported to Afghanistan this [fiscal] year,” he was quoted as saying.
The prime minister also directed officials to ensure third-party validation of cargo tracking service providers.


Pakistan demands Israel withdraw from Lebanon, Syrian buffer zone and allow UN peacekeepers to operate

Updated 18 January 2025
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Pakistan demands Israel withdraw from Lebanon, Syrian buffer zone and allow UN peacekeepers to operate

  • The remarks by Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations followed a briefing by two senior UN peacekeeping officials
  • Ambassador Munir Akram says no force except United Nations Disengagement Observer Force should have a presence in the region

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese and Syrian territories, including Golan Heights, and allow United Nations (UN) peacekeepers to freely operate in the region to ensure compliance with international agreements, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday, citing Islamabad’s UN envoy.
The remarks by Pakistan’s permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram, followed a briefing by two senior UN peacekeeping officials on recent developments in Lebanon and Syria, and the challenges facing “blue helmets” there.
Speaking at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Akram voiced “deep concern” over the increasing threats faced by peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).
The Pakistani envoy strongly condemned ongoing Israeli “aggression” in Syrian territories and the illegal incursion of Israeli military forces in the separation areas established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria.
“That agreement remains binding and must be upheld without exception,” Ambassador Akram was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s APP news agency,
“Any unilateral actions that undermine this agreement are unacceptable,” Akram said, that no force except the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) should have a military presence in the territory.
Similarly, Ambasador Akram said, Pakistan recognized the essential role of UNIFIL in maintaining stability in southern Lebanon under the Security Council resolution 1,701.
The Pakistani envoy welcomed a November 26 ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, but voiced alarm over continuing violations of the arrangement by Israeli forces, including airspace violations, airstrikes and restrictions on UNIFIL’s movement.
“Israel must adhere to the 60-day timeline stipulated in the arrangement and complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon,” he said, urging that any security concerns must be reported to appropriate mechanisms, including UNIFIL, instead of resorting to unilateral violations.
“The unrestricted freedom of movement of UNIFIL and full deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are crucial to achieving the security and stability [of Lebanon].’
The Security Council was briefed by UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Maj. Gen. Patrick Gauchat, head of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) who is temporarily in charge of the UN force in the Golan, UNDOF. Lacroix is currently in Lebanon, where the UNIFIL monitors the Blue Line border of separation with Israel. He is accompanying UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the officials visited the mission’s area of operations on Friday.
The Pakistani envoy urged the Security Council to ensure complete implementation of the mandates of both UNDOF and UNIFIL, saying they must be equipped with adequate resources and modern technologies to enhance their operational efficiency.
“Those who attack UN peacekeepers must be held accountable,” he added.
Ambassador Akram also hoped that the Gaza ceasefire “is real and it will be the first step toward a comprehensive solution, including two-state solution and establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.”
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The South Asian country has so far dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza and Lebanon, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.


Authorities announce establishment of shelters ahead of possible operation in restive Pakistani district

Updated 18 January 2025
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Authorities announce establishment of shelters ahead of possible operation in restive Pakistani district

  • The announcement came a day after militants attacked a supply convoy in Kurram, killing 10 people and kidnapping five others
  • Tribal and sectarian clashes since Nov. 21 have killed at least 136 people in Kurram and caused shortages of medicine, food and fuel

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Friday announced the establishment of camps for temporary displaced persons (TDPs) ahead of a possible operation in the restive Kurram district, which has been hit by deadly clashes in the last two months.
The announcement of the establishment of TDP camps came a day after militants ambushed a convoy bringing supplies to the region, killing 10 people, while there were reports of the kidnapping of another five drivers.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in KP, has been rocked by tribal and sectarian clashes since November 21, when armed men attacked a convoy of Shia passengers, killing 52 people.
The attack sparked further violence and blockade of a main road connecting Kurram’s main town of Parachinar with the provincial capital of Peshawar, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages in the area, as casualties surged to 136.
“It is stated that LEAs [law enforcement agencies] is planning an operation in various areas of Lower Kurram... to counter terrorism,” the Kurram deputy commissioner’s office said in a notification on Friday.
“In order to ensure safety and support of the affected population during the expected operation, the following sites are proposed for establishment of camps for the TDPs of District Kurram,” it said, naming Government Boys Degree College, Government Technical College, Rescue 1122 Compound and Judicial Building in Tal area as the potential sites.
Feuding tribes have battled with machine guns and heavy weapons in Kurram, cutting off the remote and mountainous region bordering Afghanistan from the outside world.
Thursday’s ambush targeted a convoy of 33 vehicles set to resupply local traders in the region with rice, flour and cooking oil and two aid vehicles carrying essential medicine. It followed a similar attack on a supply convoy this month that injured five people, including a top administration official in the region.
The violence has continued despite a peace agreement signed between the warring tribes on Jan. 1. Under the peace agreement, both sides had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to authorities within two weeks.
Since late last month, provincial authorities have been supplying relief goods and transporting ailing and injured people from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters.


Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to enhance defense cooperation amid thaw in ties

Updated 18 January 2025
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Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to enhance defense cooperation amid thaw in ties

  • Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war
  • Ties between both nations have warmed up since PM Hasina’s ouster due to an uprising in Aug.

ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani and Bangladeshi officials have resolved to strengthen defense cooperation in all fields, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday, amid a thaw in relations between the two countries.
The development came at a meeting between Pakistan’s Defense Secretary Lt. Gen. (retired) Muhammad Ali and Lt. Gen. S.M. Kamr-ul-Hassan, principal staff officer of the Bangladesh armed forces division, in Rawalpindi.
The visiting dignitary expressed Bangladesh’s aspiration for “vibrant days” of cooperation between two countries, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The discussion was focused on expanding bilateral defense collaboration covering all domains,” the report read. “Both sides expressed satisfaction over ongoing collaboration between two countries and aimed at strengthening the cooperation in mutually beneficial fields.”
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
In the years since, Bangladeshi leaders, particularly former prime minister Hasina, chose to maintain close ties with India. Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August, witnessing a marked improvement.
This week, Lt. Gen. Hassan met Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir in Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
During the meeting, both military commanders stressed the need for an enduring partnership between the two countries to remain “resilient against external influences.”
On Tuesday, Pakistan and Bangladesh signed a landmark agreement to establish a joint business council, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said, amid efforts to enhance trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
“The establishment of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Business Council is a milestone for trade relations between the two countries,” FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said after signing the agreement in Dhaka, along with representatives of the Administrative Federation of the Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce.
During the visit, the FPCCI chief led a Pakistani business delegation that held meetings with their counterparts in Bangladesh to discuss ways to enhance trade ties. The Trade Corporation of Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding for rice export to Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to visit Dhaka in the start of February to further consolidate the relations between the two countries.