KARACHI: Six women were killed in separate incidents in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi in the last 48 hours, police said on Saturday, with social activists voicing concerns about violence against women in the South Asian country.
Bodies of four women, murdered under uncertain circumstances, were found inside an apartment building in the Lea Market area, according to police officials.
The law enforcers were questioning men of the family, who said they were not present at home when the incident occurred on Friday night.
“The women were brutally killed by having their throats slit and their bodies showed signs of physical assault,” Arif Aziz, a senior superintendent of police (SSP), told Arab News.
“We are investigating the case and any solid conclusions can be drawn once investigations are concluded.”
Speaking to the media, Muhammad Farooq, the head of the family, said his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were killed while he and his sons were away.
“We knocked on the door upon returning home and when they didn’t open, my son came and opened the door with his key,” he said, adding that he had no idea who killed them.
“We suspect no one and have no enmity with anyone.”
In another incident, a man was arrested for fatally stabbing his pregnant wife in the Shah Faisal Colony area of city, according to police. The suspect, Abdullah, was taken into custody following the incident on Saturday and a murder case has been registered against him.
“The victim was married to Abdullah,” police officer Abdul Hameed told Arab News. “Frequent disputes arose between the couple shortly after their wedding, leading to Laiba leaving her home to stay with her parents.”
Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed Tariq told Arab News the deceased woman was around five-month pregnant.
“She had single stabbing to the neck,” Tariq said, adding the autopsy of four other women was still undergoing.
In the third incident, a woman was brought dead to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, who had sustained gunshot wounds to her face and head, according to Tariq.
Domestic violence remains a prevalent issue in Pakistan, where many cases go unreported due to social stigma attached with it and a lack of resources for victims.
The Sindh Suhai Sath Organization, a local non-government organization, reported this month that 165 women were killed in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province in 2023, with the actual number of such cases likely to be much higher.
According to a 2020 report by Aurat Foundation, over 11,000 cases of violence against women were reported across Pakistan in 2020. The most common forms of violence were domestic violence (4,775 cases), rape and gang rape (2,297 cases), and murder (1,033 cases).
Mehnaz Rehman, a social scientist and former official of Aurat Foundation, emphasized the need for “gender sensitization” in Pakistani society.
“We need to explain to our boys, our men, and our rulers that they should work with gender sensitivity and recognize everyone as equal human beings,” she said, highlighting the importance of encouraging individuals to “raise their voices against crime and injustice, no matter where it happens.”
Rehman pointed out that while women’s rights activists and international organizations have long fought against such violence, the key to end such crimes “is to view these issues in light of our society’s harsh realities.”