By Aziz Khatri
KARACHI: A discussion on so-called “karo kari” killings and violence against women was held at Karachi Press Club under the banner of “Dukhtaran-e-Karachi”, a platform associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan.
The event, titled “Karo Kari: Bury This Practice”, was chaired by senior party leader Nasreen Jalil and attended by senators, members of parliament, legal experts and social activists.
Organisers included MNA Sabeen Ghauri, Dr Ubaid Ali and Amir Siddiqui, who hosted the session.
Among those present were Senate Human Rights Committee chairperson Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Senator Khalida Ateeb, Senator Amir Chishti, deputy parliamentary leader Taha Ahmed, and lawmakers Asiya Ishaq, Bilqees Mukhtar, Sikandara Khatoon and Kiran Kashif. Senior party figures Kishwar Zehra, Mangla Sharma and women’s wing representatives also attended.
Addressing the gathering, Nasreen Jalil said the killing of women in the name of karo kari in rural areas of Sindh reflected what she described as the worst form of feudal oppression.
Referring to the case of Rubina Chandio and the reported killing of 34 women in Sindh over the past four months, she said the time had come to end the practice permanently.
Jalil said MQM-P considered itself a leading voice for women’s rights and would continue its campaign against those involved in such crimes.
Speakers at the event also condemned the reported killing and burial alive of a young girl in Balochistan, describing it as a deeply disturbing incident.
Participants said police and local administrations often appeared powerless before influential feudal figures, resulting in many cases not even reaching the stage of formal police registration.
At the conclusion of the programme, participants called on the federal and provincial governments to introduce effective legislation and ensure that suspects were arrested regardless of political influence.
Attendees also pledged to continue campaigning through the Dukhtaran-e-Karachi platform until the practice was eliminated.
