Senate raises concerns over low conviction rate in honour killing cases

Between 400 and 500 honour killings are reported in Pakistan every year, yet only around 41 per cent of these cases

ISLAMABAD: Between 400 and 500 honour killings are reported in Pakistan every year, yet only around 41 per cent of these cases are officially classified as honour killings, the Senate Standing Committee was informed this week. The figures have raised concerns over the implementation of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2016, which was introduced to strengthen legal action against honour-based violence.

Human rights expert Rabiya Javeri told lawmakers that police records indicate between 400 and 500 such cases are reported annually. However, a significant proportion are not registered under the honour killing category because investigators are required to establish the motive behind the murder.

“Because you have to prove it is an honour killing, so many cases are missed,” Javeri said, pointing to difficulties in identifying and documenting cases linked to so-called family or community honour.

Experts said the classification issue creates a major gap in official statistics. Cases may instead be registered as domestic disputes, firing incidents or murders with an unknown motive. As a result, authorities may struggle to identify patterns involving family pressure, jirga decisions or community involvement.

Rights advocates have also raised concerns about police attitudes, arguing that failure to identify the honour motive can affect investigations and ultimately weaken prosecutions.

Sindh Police data covering 2014 to 2019 recorded 769 people, including 510 women, killed in the name of honour. Police submitted charge sheets in 649 cases, while courts convicted suspects in only 19 cases. Another 136 accused were acquitted, while 494 cases remained pending, resulting in a conviction rate of around 2.9 per cent among the cases with charge sheets.

More recent data has also highlighted the problem. According to a 2025 report based on information obtained from provincial police through the Right to Information process, Sindh recorded 134 honour killing cases but no convictions. Balochistan reported 32 cases and one conviction, while Islamabad Capital Territory recorded 22 cases without a conviction.

The same report placed the national conviction rate for rape and honour killing cases at approximately 0.5 per cent.

Earlier figures presented before the Senate showed that out of 14,212 human rights violation cases reported in 2016, the conviction rate was just 0.09 per cent. Punjab reported 7,313 cases with three convictions, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 3,247 cases with three convictions and Sindh reported 2,817 cases with seven convictions.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan documented at least 280 honour killings between October 2016 and June 2017, while cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher because available data was incomplete.

Pakistan enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2016 to strengthen punishment for honour killings. The legislation made such offences non-compoundable, introduced a minimum 25-year sentence in relevant circumstances and brought honour-related crimes within the concept of fasad-fil-arz.

However, experts say implementation remains weak. One major difficulty is proving that honour was the motive behind a killing. Legal experts have also pointed to continuing complications involving the Qisas and Diyat framework, informal settlements and compromises.

Jirgas and other informal dispute-resolution mechanisms can further complicate prosecutions. Sindh Police has said it registers certain cases on behalf of the state to prevent them from being settled outside the courts.

Concerns have also been raised about police bias. Human rights consultations have found instances where investigators allegedly held attitudes sympathetic to accused persons.

The committee expressed concern over the low conviction rate and directed the Ministry of Law and relevant police authorities to improve the system.

It called for standardised data collection across provinces, better training for investigating officers dealing with gender-based violence and evidence, and a detailed report on convictions under the 2016 law at the committee’s next meeting.

Experts stressed that stronger investigations, improved prosecution and faster trials are necessary to ensure that victims and their families do not have to wait years for justice.

*Minute Mirror* has contacted the National Police Bureau and Ministry of Human Rights for updated provincial data for 2024-25. The report will be updated when responses are received.