By: SYED SHAHABUDDIN
A woman was shot dead by her own son inside the premises of the judicial complex in Kabal Tehsil of Swat district on Tuesday, in what police termed a case of ‘honour killing’.
According to police, the victim, 42-year-old Rozina, had filed a case for dissolution of marriage against her husband Ajmal Khan resident of Ningolai several months ago.
She was present at the Kabal Judicial Complex for a scheduled court hearing when her son, 22-year-old Romal Khan, allegedly managed to bring a pistol into the compound and opened fire on her, killing her on the spot.
Despite security presence, the accused reportedly bypassed checks and smuggled the weapon inside. The deceased’s body was shifted to Kabal Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Kabal circle DSP Amjad Ali confirmed that the accused was taken into custody at the scene and a case has been registered against him under sections 302 and 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code, the latter included to prevent the possibility of a familial compromise.
This is the second reported incident of honour killing in Swat’s Kabal Tehsil in less than 72 hours.
Earlier, in Shah Dherai area, a man named Zarbaz Khan allegedly shot dead his daughter-in-law Seema Bibi, citing honour-related reasons. The suspect was arrested by police.
According to police sources, at least 16 women have been killed in Swat district this year in honour-related crimes, raising serious concerns among civil society organisations and rights activists.
Human rights organisation The Awakening, which works for women’s protection in the region, reported that 20 women have died in Swat so far this year, including eight victims of honour killings, one suicide, and nine killed in domestic disputes.
Speaking this scribe, the organisation’s chief executive Irfan Hussain Babak said that there are laws to protect women, but implementation is severely lacking, added that “only 7 percent of cases result in convictions, and in most incidents, pressure from families leads to out-of-court settlements, which perpetuate the cycle of violence.”
“Over 200 women have sought refuge in Swat’s Darul Aman (women’s shelter homes) this year, most of whom are married and many whose husbands are working abroad,” confirmed official sources.
Swat district SP Investigation, Badshah Hazrat Khan claimed that police were strictly following legal procedures in all such cases, adding tha “we register cases under Section 311 alongside 302 to discourage compromise in honour killings. In some instances, perpetrators try to portray the killings as suicides, but we thoroughly investigate every angle.”he stated.
He added that all suspects in this year’s honour killings had been arrested and their cases sent to court.
The alarming rise in gender-based violence has sparked calls from civil society for urgent judicial and administrative reforms, especially concerning protection mechanisms for women approaching courts and shelters for legal relief.
