Sherry condemns Jirga-ordered honour killing of woman in Pindi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday strongly condemned the horrific honour killing of a young girl in Rawalpindi reportedly on the orders of a local jirga, calling it a deeply alarming reflection of a dangerous societal trend.

The harrowing incident of honour killing occurred in Fauji Colony area of Rawalpindi, where a 19-year-old girl named Sidra was strangled to death on the orders of a jirga.

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Police have arrested three suspects, including the jirder head and the gravedigger while permission to exhume the victim’s body was also sought from court. They said that to cover up the crime, Sidra’s body was reportedly buried in the dead of night without informing authorities, and her grave was deliberately left unmarked.

“From Balochistan to Rawalpindi, women are being killed under the guise of traditional justice systems. This practice is a poison that threatens the future of our country,” Sherry said in a statement.

In a shameful crime that is totally unconscionable , another young woman was killed in Rawalpindi by her husband after a jirga ordered her murder — allegedly under the supervision of a former Union Council Vice Chairman.
This is not ghairat, this is qatl. Her body was buried in… pic.twitter.com/kgbwzRAa9K

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) July 25, 2025

She denounced the use of cultural norms to justify violence against women, stating, “Sacrificing women at the altar of outdated traditions is unacceptable. State institutions must act decisively to eliminate such illegal decisions at every level.”

Calling for zero tolerance, Sherry Rehman said that failure to act against these unlawful and inhumane rulings would allow social decay to eat away at the foundations of the state.

“Whether it is Balochistan or Rawalpindi, the message must be the same: a woman’s life, dignity and voice are paramount. Those who seek to silence them are enemies of humanity,” she added.

The senator also said those who organise or support such jirgas must be treated as complicit in the crime. “Honour killing of women based on jirga rulings is intolerable. The perpetrators should be treated like terrorists—with no leniency,” she said.

She labelled the killers of the young girl, Sidra, as criminals against society and warned that defending them was equally reprehensible.

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