Getting away with murder in PakistanISLAMABAD: The strangling of Pakistani social media starlet Qandeel Baloch by her brother has once again cast a spotlight on the custom of “honor killings,” which claims around a thousand lives in Pakistan every year. So-called honor killings are understood to mean the murder of a relative by another for bringing the family dishonor. In his book, “The Application of Islamic Criminal Law in Pakistan: Sharia in Practice,” legal scholar Tahir Wasti compared the decade 1981-1990, before the law, to 1991-2000. Pakistan amended its criminal code in 2005 to prevent men who kill female relatives pardoning themselves as an “heir” of the victim. In February, Prime Minister Sharif promised to amend the criminal code further, but no action has been taken since.

Source: Manila Times July 17, 2016 13:18 UTC