Karachi: Speakers at a seminar on infamous tradition of karo-kari held the feudal system responsible for this social evil and called for creating a separate ministry and also urged the political parties to play their role to eliminate violence against women.

The seminar was organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation. MQM MPA Heer Ismail Soho, who had tabled a resolution against karo-kari in last Sindh assembly session, said that her party was making efforts to eliminate honour killings. She said the governor Sindh, and the leadership of her party was seriously promoting this issue in the Sindh Assembly. She said that some women members of the Sindh Assembly do not oppose honour killings.

She was of the view that the accused in a karo-kari murder be treated as murderer and punished under 302 of PPC. Currently, such killers get hardly five years' sentence, she said, and asserted that they must be sentenced to least 25 years imprisonment.

Heer told that the provincial assembly has formed a joint committee of members from opposition and treasury benches to formulate recommendations on the proposed law against karo- kari. She expected that the House would debate the issue when it meets on Dec 5.

Akhter Baloch, representing the HRCP said that honour killings is the other name of business as feudal lords earn a lot of money through this and holding of Jirga.

Amina Mehwish, coordinator, War Against Rape, elaborated that sexual crimes are often committed against children even below 12. The survivors, the term she used for victims, develop psychological disorders when they do not get support from society, the parents and the relatives. She stressed on imparting training to MLOs on specific lines as according to her they do not show sympathy to the survivors in 99 per cent rape cases. Often they opine that the survivors must had consent in the act.

Ms. Amina also spoke on domestic violence and stated that 60 per cent of the overall cases of violence could be described as domestic violence. In these cases, women and children are being targeted just to suppress them. (The News, PPI & Dawn 21/11/03)