KARACHI, Dec 20: After a heated debate on ways to check the brutal custom of women’s killing in the name of honour, the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the provincial government to approach and recommend to the federal government to treat Karo-kari as a non-compoundable offence whose perpetrators be charged and prosecuted under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Compoundable offences are those in which the parties to a dispute can reach a compromise. Since Karo-kari cases are already registered under Section 302 of the PPC, the provincial assembly decided to demand that they be made non-compoundable.

The original resolution moved by a legislator belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League (Functional), Nusrat Bano Seher Abbasi, was amended before the house adopted it unanimously.

It was a private members’ day and the session was presided over by Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro.

While opening the debate Ms Abbasi earlier said the issue of Karo-kari was very important in the context of Sindh, where innocent women were being murdered and culprits set free on one pretext or another. She informed the house that 43 women were reportedly killed under the custom of Karo-kari during the current month while the number of cases reported this year stood at 557.

The woman legislator was on the floor of the house presenting arguments in favour of her resolution when Minister for Archives Rafiq Engineer of the Pakistan People’s Party intervened and said that Section 302 of the PPC was a federal subject and this house could not debate it.

However, the federal government could be asked for making suitable amendments to the relevant law, he added.

Ms Abbasi objected to the intervention of Mr Engineer and urged the chair to let her make submissions. She said it amazed her that no serious thought was given in the house to an issue raised by women legislators. Her statement was followed by some remarks by the minister against the woman lawmaker, which caused uproar in the house.

The situation was brought under control when PPP’s senior minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq stood up and apologised to her. He later endorsed her views and informed the house that suitable amendments had already been made to the relevant laws, as the Qisas and Diyat law was not applicable to Karo-kari cases.

But every murder case must be lodged with police, he said, adding that it was up to courts to decide the case once lodged and give punishment to culprits.

Reciprocating the sentiments of the mover of the resolution, Pir Mazhar said: “We equally share her views and consider Karo-kari a brutal act.

“Whosoever is a killer, he should be charged under Section 302 of the PPC and a murder should be treated as murder,” he said.

It was surprising that some treasury members of the ruling party initially opposed the original resolution, moved by the PML(F) legislator.

Rafiq Engineer said the issue was a federal subject. PPP Ministers for Culture and Information Sassui Palejo and Shazia Marri, respectively, raised similar objections and heated arguments ensued between the lawmakers of the PML(F) and those of the PPP, as the former accused the latter of disrupting the passage of a resolution meant to condemn killings in the name of honour.

Lawmaker Humaira Alwani of the PPP said that even FIRs of such cases were not lodged with police.

The amended resolution which was eventually passed reads: This assembly resolved that the Sindh government approaches the federal government to treat the murder committed in the name of honour (Karo-kari) as culpable homicide and amounting to murder and the culprits be charged and prosecuted under Section 302 of the PPP and it should not be made compoundable.

Recounting police efforts to take action against Karo-kari culprits, Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said that 197 cases of honour killings were reported out of which 189 were detected by the police.

Giving district-wise details, he said that 26 cases were detected in Sukkur, 25 in Ghotki, 30 in Khairpur, 25 in Shikarpur, 22 in Jacobabad, 17 in Kambar Shahdadkot, four each in Larkana and Naushero Feroz and two in Sanghar.

He informed the house that a police force was being formed to register complaints by maintaining secrecy to protect the complainants.

PPP lawmaker Jam Tamachi Unnar, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, took exception to a point of order raised by the information minister and said: “It’s actually a privilege of members and not ministers”.

Ms Marri argued that ministers could ask questions and requested Mr Tamachi to cite a rule from the provincial assembly rules of procedure that bar ministers from raising a point of order.

Legislator Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the National People’s Party wanted to introduce a motion for leave for the amendment in the rules of procedure of the provincial assembly regarding permitting legislators to display number plates inscribed with ‘MPA’ on their vehicles.

Pir Mazhar opposed it on the ground that various lawmakers and ministers wouldn’t want themselves to be identified for various reasons, including security concerns.

When the motion was put to vote, most lawmakers voted against it.

The session was later adjourned till Wednesday morning.