Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah Monday directed the federal capital police to submit a report on an application filed by two sisters who sought protection after contracting marriage against the wishes of their family, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The orders were issued as one of the girls, Malaika Fatima, told the court that a local jirga in Lodhran had imprisoned her husband after their marriage.

As the lawyer representing the government argued that they would be sent to Punjab as the case pertained to that province, the chief justice remarked that whether they should be left alone and helpless if they were not getting security in Punjab.

Everyone would be responsible if anything happened to the girls or their husbands, Chief Justice Minallah observed and asked the police about the investigation carried out, if any, to provide security to the girls.

In their reply, the police informed the court that they were shifted to a shelter home after medical examination.

The IHC ordered the Islamabad Police chief to conduct a thorough probe and directed the SSP to present a report on the application during the next hearing scheduled for June 10. The two sisters should be shifted to the Benazir Crisis Centre, it was further directed. 

Violence against women is common in our country as many of them are still unable to marry according to their own choice or make any other decisions independently, which results in barbaric practice of honour killing and domestic violence.

Last week, a husband was axed to death and his wife injured as the in-laws attacked their house in the Dad Leghari area of Ghotki.

The couple had tied knot seven months against the wishes of the girl’s family members who – her brothers and other relatives – barged into their house and carried out the brutal act.

In a similar incident, three people were gunned down over a marriage dispute in Shikarpur on May 26, showing that our society continues to revolve around 3Zs – Zun, Zar, Zameen (Woman, Money, Land) even in the 21st century.

Another double murder recently got international media attention, when two girls were killed in Waziristan over an old video clip that went viral on social media recently. Later, the two killers were arrested – father of one of the girls and brother of the other.

Meanwhile, these killings were instigated by a tribal elder who had asked the people in a social media post to eliminate the two.

This mindset makes girls an unwanted commodity for many, as a woman was beaten to death as her husband hit her repeatedly with a rod for giving birth to a girl in Dadu, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

The killing was reported as barbarian husband, Abdullah Soomro, got infuriated as he wanted a male child and tortured Yamna to death.

It is also reported that the young wife was killed after levelling baseless accusations of karo-kari – the term used in Sindh for disrespecting the family honour which result is honour killings.

On the other hand, Umar Soomro, the victim’s brother, said her sister was killed for giving birth to two girls.