Senator Sherry Rehman condemns barbaric jirga-ordered murder of young woman in Rawalpindi

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Vice President of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Senator Sherry Rehman, has issued a strong condemnation following the horrific murder of a young woman in Rawalpindi, reportedly carried out on the orders of a jirga allegedly presided over by a former Union Council Vice Chairman. The woman, identified as Sidra, was killed by her husband after a jirga ruling, her body buried in secrecy, her grave allegedly erased, and a falsified FIR lodged to cover up the crime.

“This is not ‘ghairat’ — this is qatl,” said Senator Rehman. “No jirga has the authority to decide life and death. This was a premeditated act of murder, an affront to law, humanity, and the values of any civilised society. The state must respond not with silence, but with the full force of the law.”

Senator Rehman underscored that she had raised the issue of so called ‘honour killings’ and the Senate had already passed a resolution condemning the same, following a similar brutal incident in Balochistan just weeks ago. “Parliament has legislated clearly — there is no room for compromise in such crimes. And yet, we are witnessing an alarming pattern where women, from Balochistan to Rawalpindi, are being executed under the shadow of illegal jirgas and regressive customs. This cannot continue.”

She added, “It is unacceptable that women are still being sacrificed at the altar of tradition and tribal ‘honour’. These actions are not just illegal — they are poisonous for the future of Pakistan. We must draw a clear line: the murderers, and those who enable or shelter them through jirgas or false FIRs, are equally complicit.”

Calling for a zero-tolerance policy, Senator Rehman urged state institutions to take immediate action: “The impunity must end. Jirga justice has no place in our legal system. Those involved in this parallel system — including the ones who preside over such ‘decisions’ — must be tried as accomplices to murder. They are not elders dispensing wisdom, they are abettors to a crime.”

“The state must uproot such practices from every level, and society must send a unified message: a woman’s life, dignity, and voice are non-negotiable. Those who silence her are enemies of humanity.”

Referring to the tragic murders, Senator Rehman demanded swift and uncompromising justice. “Their killers are enemies of society. Even defending them is a crime. The law must speak — and it must speak loudly, clearly, and without fear or favour.”