Dishonourable murder

As people everywhere in the world, including Pakistan, become more aware of rights and global values, clashes within families are more likely to occur. Sana Cheema, age 26, an Italian-Pakistani woman appears to be the latest victim of this. Her body was exhumed Wednesday from the west Mangowal area of district Gujrat where it had been buried on April 18. A post-mortem is now to take place. The story is a tragic one. Police are investigating the increasingly widespread belief, also highlighted in the Italian press, that Sana was murdered by her father Ghulam Mustafa, along with her brother and uncle. The ‘honour’ killing apparently took place because Sana, as an adult woman, wished to wed an Italian of Pakistani origin like herself rather than the man her father had chosen for her. The death was originally reported by the family as being the outcome of an accident. However, social media posts from Sana’s friends, the media, reports of medication having been bought by the family and the testimony of the grave digger who said the burial appeared to have taken place in great haste have all brought about an investigation.

This case is not a rare occurrence. In 2016, a British woman of Pakistani origin was murdered, also apparently by her father, over a marital dispute within the family. These cases mark a society unwilling to move forward. Sana’s demand that she be granted the right to marry by choice is sanctioned by the law in Pakistan and of course also in Italy, where she had spent most of her life. Her father and uncle have been arrested but her brother remains on the run. We wait to see what the final outcome of the case will be. Too often similar incidents of murder are settled through agreement within families based on the law that allows blood money to be accepted for a killing. We hope that in Sana’s tragic case true justice will prevail and our courts will play their due role. It is essential that the perpetrators of ‘honour’ killings be penalised under the law so that an example can be set and others deterred from carrying out similar actions in the name of what they term ‘honour’.