In the rugged landscapes of Balochistan, the fertile plains of Sindh, and the urban centers of Punjab, a silent, predatory war is being waged. It is not a war of borders or ideologies, but a war against the very existence of women. The feudal and patriarchal structure—a relic of a primitive past—has stripped our society of its most basic human trait: ehsaas (empathy). Today, this monstrous system does not just marginalise; it mandates the slaughter of loved ones at the altar of a distorted "honour."
This morning in Nasirabad, a husband allegedly murdered his wife in the name of honour before fleeing the scene. Simultaneously, heartbreaking images surfaced on social media from Sindh’s Dadu district, where a woman named Naghma and her mother, Shahida, were secretly murdered by in-laws over dowry disputes and buried in silence. No cry for help was heard. While police eventually recovered the bodies, no arrests have been made—a stark reminder of how influence and impunity bury justice alongside the victims.
If we are to survive as a civilised society, we must dismantle the shadow courts of the Waderas and Sardars
The violence is relentless. Two days ago in Lodhran, Punjab, a man killed a young bride inside a salon because she chose to marry according to her family's wishes rather than his. Last week in Burdo Chandio village, Khairpur, 19-year-old Khalida was murdered after entering into a free-will marriage. After her husband abandoned her due to parental pressure, she returned to her native village. There, a tribal chieftain convened a Jirga that unanimously sentenced her to death for "tarnishing the tribe's honour." Khalida was gunned down in front of over 50 villagers who watched the execution in broad daylight.
The headlines from march and April 2026 read like a catalog of horrors. In Kohlu, Balochistan, a 35-year-old woman was silenced in the name of honour. Perhaps most harrowing is the case from the Sui district of Dera Bugti, where a mother of four was subjected to a night of unspeakable torture by Haider Ali Bugti and his brothers. After she died at dawn, her killers attempted a macabre cover-up using electric shocks and a gunshot to stage a suicide. For years, she had been a prisoner in her own home. Now, a local Wadera (feudal lord) seeks to grant the accused impunity—a familiar script where the influential shield the bloodthirsty. The tragedy in the same town continued when another elderly mother was killed by her brother-in-law over a family dispute while the male family members were away for Friday prayers.
This violence is not restricted to tribal hinterlands; it has permeated our "progressive" institutions. The tragic suicide of Fahmida Laghari, a third-year medical student in Mirpurkhas, exposes the lethal nature of institutional harassment. When the very places meant to empower women become chambers of blackmail and psychological torture, the system has failed entirely.
Recent data reflects this crisis: there has been a 25% rise in gender-based violence, with 6,543 cases in 2025 compared to 5,253 in 2024. In 2024 alone, Pakistan saw over 24,000 abductions (averaging 67 daily) and more than 5,000 rapes (nearly 19 daily). Despite 405 documented honour killings that year, conviction rates remain abysmal—under 2% for rape and a staggering 0.1% for abductions. This culture of impunity ensures the cycle continues.
Pakistan remains one of the world's most dangerous places for women, with 90% facing domestic violence and 85-90% experiencing workplace harassment. In Sindh and Balochistan, feudal influence ensures the true scale of this brutality remains underreported.
The state must take decisive action: ban jirgas outright, protect witnesses, and improve conviction rates by properly training police and the judiciary. Women activists in Balochistan and Sindh are rising against this patriarchal-feudal grip, demanding an end to the treatment of women as property.
If we are to survive as a civilised society, we must dismantle the shadow courts of the Waderas and Sardars. We must stand with our sisters as they confront this tyranny. A system that demands the blood of its daughters to maintain its "prestige" is a system that deserves nothing but total condemnation.