| Summary/Abstract |
Bibi, these days everyone is trying to commit suicide and girls have nothing to do but marry for love,” complained some of my village women recently. Speaking with them, I found that the reasons for suicide attempts were a rich mix – from poverty to dejection in love. It had become an everyday occurrence to hear about someone drinking pesticides or similar poisons readily available in agricultural areas. This trend is not limited to my village in South Punjab, but one I heard repeatedly in upper Sindh, where lawyers talked about the generosity with which judges allowed court marriages. Yet, we don’t hear of a proportionate increase in honour killings. Indeed, such brutal murders were not a known historic phenomenon in South Punjab. Women have eloped and settled or even returned home but with no lethal repercussions. Of course, there is the use of abusive language and beating up but no killing. So, I was surprised to hear about ‘honour’ in the context of Qandeel Baloch and her brutal murder by her brother. I wondered if the investigation should stop there and take the drug addict brother’s words as the only truth.
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