Pakistan to close 'honour killing' loophole after Qandeel Baloch murder
Outspoken social media star was strangled to death by her brother earlier this month
Pakistan is set to close a loophole allowing people who commit so-called "honour killings" to go unpunished in the wake of the high-profile murder of Qandeel Baloch (pictured above).
The practice was outlawed more than a decade ago but the victim's family are legally allowed to pardon the killer and help them evade prosecution.
The planned legislation was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam, an increasingly influential member of his party.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We have finalised the draft law in the light of negotiations," she told Reuters. It could be put before parliament within a matter of weeks.
Baloch, a 26-year-old social media star, was killed by her brother, Waseem, in the Punjab province earlier this month. He confessed to strangling her to death while their parents were asleep upstairs because "girls are born to stay at home". He was "proud" of what he did, he added.
He has since been arrested and charged with crimes against the state, which means he cannot be pardoned even if his family forgives him for the murder.
Baloch was a household name in Pakistan for her "bold, unapologetic videos celebrating her sexuality". Her huge popularity exposed the "deeply ingrained misogyny and hypocrisy" that cuts across Pakistan, Shaista Aziz writes for the Globe and Mail.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"[Pakistani men] watched her videos behind closed doors with glee, and then hissed and cursed her publicly for her so-called 'un-Islamic and filthy ways'," she says.
"In a country with reportedly one of the highest Google searches for pornography in the world, Ms. Baloch became the target for the self-proclaimed male and female moral and religious police."
More than 1,000 women were killed for "honour" in 2015, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. One woman reportedly had her throat slit by her brother after she was accused of talking to a man on the phone.
-
Taiwan eyes Iron Dome-like defence against ChinaUnder the Radar President announces historic increase in defence spending as Chinese aggression towards autonomous island escalates
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted