File photo. Rizwan Tabassum—AFP
A young girl was allegedly murdered on orders of a local Jirga, while another was rescued by police after a video of both of them dancing with boys went viral on social media, according to a police statement issued on Sunday.
The incident recalls a 2011 video in which five girls were seen cheering for a boy who was dancing. According to local activists, all five of those women were killed, along with the boy’s four brothers, on orders of a local jigra. The murders had prompted outrage locally and internationally, with then-Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry taking suo motu notice of the incident.
In the most recent incident, police said one of the girls was killed by her own family in the Barsharyal village of Kohistan’s Palas on orders of a local Jirga. They said the body was subsequently taken into custody for an autopsy before being returned to her family.
Palas Deputy Superintendent of Police Masood Khan told journalists that the second girl had been rescued by police and produced before a local magistrate. He said the girl had told authorities she did not feel any threats to her life by her family and was allowed to return with them instead of being shifted to the Darul Aman.
Claiming the videos and photos were apparently edited, he said the Jirga had declared anyone who appeared in them “thieves,” and issued a decree for their killing. To a question, he said a first information report of the murder had been registered under sections 302/311 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He also clarified that the case was registered on behalf of the state, as the family had not wished to proceed. “We have launched an investigation to trace those who killed the girl and who either advised or convened a jirga and sentenced her to death,” he said, stressing no one was above the law and all those involved in the murder would be brought to justice.
The viral video also featured several boys, with the police saying they had gone into hiding for fear of reprisals. Speaking with local media, local activists said such “honor killings” were tragically commonplace, and called on the government to put an end to the brutality.