As compared to a culturally-rich society, two individuals were born in a society where people searching ‘honor’ in woman’s body
In the past few days, every social media user has seen two viral romantic incidents – one of a Chief Executive Organization (CEO) enjoying ‘intimate’ moments with human resource (HR) person of his company but caught on camera and the other incident of two individuals being killed in a desert in Balochistan. Both the incidents were filmed; one in a concert and the other in a desert. One was filmed by strangers and the other was filmed by family members or nears and dears of the victims. Both went viral on different occasion with different purposes.
We can notice easily that the the situations were the same in both the incidents but consequences were not. One caused memes while the other incident caused rage, sorrow and anger in overall society. One pair of individuals is being mocked online while the other was executed offline. One pair faced heated criticism while the others faced cold execution. In one incident, no one even touched the HR lady or the CEO. They flew to their homes ‘safely’. While on the other hand, the other two individuals were invited home, taken to a nearby desert and was shot dead there. The video was filmed by a supporter of the killers and then shared on a social media platform from where the video went viral within some time.
Thanks to the civil society, mainstream media, and sensible social media users who recorded their protests on the issue and culprits were caught. The court ordered postmortem of the bodies by reopening the graves. The question then arises: what is different between the two incidents? Only the location, power, and privilege? One pair of the individuals had by luck the luxury of being born in a culturally rich society where human lives are considered important and preferred over all cultural evils while the other two individuals had no such luxury but they were born in a society where ‘honor’ is considered to be in a woman’s body. One location belongs to the people where making love does not harm the sentiments of others and the other location belongs to the people where killing for ‘honor’ is common.
We can’t build a society until we value a woman’s life more than ‘pride’ of a man, or ‘traditions’
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan report of 2024, a number of around 400 women were killed for ‘honor’ from January to November 2024. It is irony that many ‘noble’ Sardars and chiefs of Baloch tribes call it their ‘custom’ and ‘culture’ to secure the ‘respect’ of a woman but no one gives the due right in properties to their sisters or daughters. I wonder such ‘culture’ still exist in today’s society where killing for ‘honor’ is just a normal thing for such ‘black sheep’. In a society where women are killed but no one cares cannot be called a culture but total cruelty. Although laws of the country are against the ‘honor’ killing but still there are incidents where the courts have acquitted people who killed for ‘honor’.
We need to understand that there is no ‘honor’ in killing someone. These illogical customs and traditions are pushing us back to centuries ago in stone age where woman was considered a property and not a normal human being. We cannot build a society until we value human life more than any tradition. To save our society, we have to choose law not the gun culture or violence. If there is something wrong or some element of betrayal, there are laws for it. There is no justification for killing innocent lives. Until we value a woman’s life more than ‘pride’ of a man, or so-called traditions, we cannot build a society. Till then, we will keep losing ourselves in the name of ‘honor’.
