Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto criticised Nawaz Sharif-led federal government for delaying an anti-honour killing bill.
He demanded that the prime minister should make an immediate move on anti-honour killing bill, by shunning “hypocrisy”, which has been “stuck” in the National Assembly though already passed by the Upper House last year.
According to a statement which was posted to the wall of party’s media cell website, the PPP chairman said: “There is no honour in killing. Killing in the name of honour, especially the women, should be declared a heinous and unpardonable crime to save the victims of horrible custom, which has nothing to do with our civilisation or history.”
The PPP chairman further said that hundreds of women were killed every year and the killers walked free due to the absence of strict laws. The subject of honour-killing was once again brought to the notice of incumbent government after Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy screened her film on the subject at the Prime Minister House.
While praising and congratulating Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on her nomination for Oscar Award, which she has won, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to eradicate the “evil” of honour killing.
Sharmeen, during her Oscar acceptance speech, had thanked the prime minister for the support he had offered on the subject and for his undertaking to eradicate the practice. It is pertinent to mention that the referred bill has been pending in the National Assembly since March 2015.
The Anti-Honour Killings Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2014, was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Senator Syeda Sughra Imam.
Talking about the objective of the proposed bill, Imam had said that the bill was to address lacunas in the existing laws in order to improve conviction rates, and bring the culprits within the ambit of the law.