The girls in the video that led to their ‘honour’ killings TWO teenage sisters have been murdered in Pakistan after being accused of sullying the family’s honour by making a video of themselves playing in the rain outside their home. The family video, which was shot about six months ago in the town of Chilas, in the northern region of Gilgit, shows the sisters, aged 15 and 16, running around with two younger children in a downpour on the muddy turf outside their stone bungalow. At one point the teenagers, named as Noor Basra and Noor Sheza, who were wearing traditional shalwar kameez trouser suits and green and purple headscarves, appear to be breaking into a joyful dance. They pose for the camera. One sister flashes a smile. To outside observers, the short grainy film seems to capture a moment of innocence. But when the video was circulated on mobile phones in a conservative Pakistani town with strict rules on female modesty, a relative of the girls was enraged. Last Sunday night, the family home became a murder scene after five gunmen stormed in and killed Basra, Sheza and their mother, Noshehra. The initial police investigation has suggested the girls’ stepbrother, named as Khutore, allegedly planned and carried out the attack to “restore the family’s honour” after local men had watched the video. The girls’ other teenage brother has filed a case against Khutore and his four alleged accomplices, all now said to be on the run. About 1,000 “honour” killings take place in Pakistan every year, according to the Aurat Foundation, a women’s rights group. Many are ordered by gatherings of village elders, known as jirgas, whose notion of tribal vengeance often clashes with Pakistan’s justice system. Human Rights Watch has called for tougher action against local leaders who incite or endorse the killings.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 11:42:41 +0000
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