Zarar Chohan
M.Zararchohan@gmail.com
In the early part of this month, the sudden death of actress Humaira Asghar completely exposed the apathy of society. The woman lay dead for six months in a high-rise apartment building with more than 100 apartments, no one knew or took notice of the constantly closed door. The intellectuals were complaining about the behavior of the showbiz industry of Karachi and Lahore, but they were more surprised by the disrespect and indifference of the society!! How did we become neighbors who are unaware of the surroundings? The meaning of the blessed hadith is “If you eat to your full and your neighbor remains hungry, your faith cannot be complete.” The video of Sheetal, which went viral from the hilly area of Sanjang Degari in Quetta in the last week of July, is such a stigma on Pakistani society that no one has any explanation or justification!! The federal and provincial governments are announcing the arrest of the accused under public and moral pressure. I wish our rulers would go beyond the announcements. We are not interested in the excuse that the incident is two months old. The problem is why the local police did not take notice of the perpetrators of the atrocities. Is it a sign of a civilized society to have a “court” for every issue and every problem? This incident is not just a crime, it is a cry that has become a lament for oppression imprisoned in the veil of time. Here, a video that went viral on social media showed that Zarak and Sheetal were brutally murdered as a result of a decision of a traditional jirga in the name of honor. The murderer was no stranger! Sheetal had her own brother, whose pistol in his hand is flaunting human freedom and rights. This is not the teaching of Islam, it is a cruel tradition that needs to be ended with severe punishments. A couple who had arranged a wedding a year and a half ago were invited by their tribesmen to a feast, but it was not for food, but to show their pride. They were taken to a barren field where 19 “honorable Baloch men” were standing, five of whom had loaded weapons. 24-year-old Sheetal and 32-year-old Zarq, wrapped in a large sheet, were brought to the slaughterhouse in a convoy of vehicles. Sheetal stood before the jirga, accepting her death but not the cruelty. Her words, which have become a testimony to history, “Only shooting is allowed, nothing else,” were the bells of her soul that rang to wake up future generations. According to the United Nations, about 5,000 women are killed in the name of honor every year. These are not just numbers, they are wounds that are inflicted on human values. In South Asia, especially in Pakistan, these incidents not only happen due to social systems, tribal traditions, and illegal jirgas, but are often hidden. These silent killings in Balochistan present a horrific scenario. According to Voice of Pakistan, 49 people were killed in the name of honor in Balochistan in 2023, most of them women. Districts like Jhal Magsi and Naseerabad are contaminated with the poison of jirga culture and tribal supremacy, where the status of state law is like a mere dream. This incident that occurred in Daghagari is a continuation of this bloody tradition.
The nation demands that the entire jirga be given exemplary punishment. This incident is not just a video, it is a decade of humanity. If we let it go like this, tomorrow every leaf will be stained with blood. The law books should be brought to the dock and the jirga culture should be declared illegal and completely abolished. The spirit of the Constitution is what was reflected in Sheetal’s tone: respect, justice, and access to power. This same system then grows upwards. Individual rights are killed. The common man is exploited. We reject this extremist feminism that ignores nature and turns freedom into rebellion. We believe in the religion of nature where marriage is worship, love is loyalty, and a woman is a human being!!
