- Incident recalls normalisation of gender violence in Pakistan: HRCP
- He urged the Sindh government to ensure that the victim receives the best possible care.
- Demand that the perpetrators of this crime be held accountable.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it strongly condemns the horrific attack on a woman who was subjected to physical torture by her family for initiating legal proceedings against her husband in Nausharoferoz district of Sindh.
The incident took place on Friday when the victim named Sobia Batool Shah was attacked by her father and uncles with axes in the name of patriarchal “honour” for seeking divorce to end an abusive marriage.
Expressing concern over the incident, human rights organisation X wrote that this case should serve as a reminder that gender-based violence has long been normalised in patriarchal societies like Pakistan.
“As Batool is in critical condition, we urge the Sindh government to ensure that he receives the best possible care. The perpetrators of this crime must be held accountable,” the HRCP demanded.
The physical torture left the victim with severe physical and mental trauma, which could result in a lifelong disability, with the possibility that he may never be able to walk again.
According to reports, Syed Mustafa Shah, Sobia's father, and her uncles Syed Qurban Shah, Ehsan Shah, Shah Nawaz and Mushtaq Shah, who were armed with axes, injured Sobia and fled the spot leaving her screaming for help in a pool of blood.
Sobia told police that her husband never took responsibility for their family and regularly abused her and could not provide for her and their two children, leaving her to suffer alone in Karachi.
She repeatedly alerted her parents about the plight she was in, but her family turned a deaf ear to her complaints and sent her away, calling her a disgrace.
Police have arrested one suspect, Mushtaq Shah, and are conducting further raids in search of the remaining culprits.
