JournalismPakistan.com | Published 9 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD - An Oscar-winning filmmaker hopes her latest Academy Award-nominated documentary will help bring tougher laws against honor killings in Pakistan, which account for the deaths of hundreds of women and men each year.
The film, which follows the story of a young woman who survived attempted murder by her father and uncle after marrying a man without their approval, was nominated for an Oscar in January, prompting Pakistan's prime minister to pledge to take a firm stand against the "evil" practice.
More than 500 men and women died in honor killings in 2015, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
Many of these crimes, carried out by relatives who say their mostly female victims have brought shame on the family, are never prosecuted, observers say.
"People need to realize that it is a very serious crime," Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (pictured), also a journalist, told Reuters in an interview in the southern city of Karachi.
"It's not something that is part of our religion or culture. This is something that should be treated as pre-meditated murder and people should go to jail for it."
Obaid-Chinoy's film "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness", scheduled to air on HBO in March, tells the story of 19-year-old Saba from Pakistan's Punjab province.
After marrying a man without the agreement of her family, Saba's father and uncle beat her, shot her in the face, put her in a bag and threw her in a river, leaving her for dead.
Saba survived, and set out to ensure that her attackers were brought to justice.
Her father and uncle were arrested and went to jail, but Saba was pressured to "forgive" her attackers. That option under Pakistani law can effectively waive a complainant's right to seek punishment against the accused, even in the case of attempted murder.
Altering the law to remove the possibility of "forgiveness" could help reduce the number of honor killings in Pakistan, advocates of such a change say.
An act that would amend the law across Pakistan was passed by one house of parliament last year, but did not clear the other chamber due to delays, said Sughra Imam, who introduced the bill when she was a lawmaker.
Both she and Obaid-Chinoy hope the attention the film has received abroad and at home, including from Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, might help push the amendments through.
"The greatest win of 'A Girl in the River' would be if the prime minister does take the lead, brings the stakeholders on board and they pass the (act)," Obaid-Chinoy said.
After the film was nominated in the short documentary category, Sharif issued a statement congratulating the filmmaker and pledging his government's commitment to rid Pakistan of the "evil" of honor killings by "bringing in appropriate legislation."
Obaid-Chinoy has already won an Oscar in the same category for "Saving Face", a film about acid attacks in Pakistan.
Sharif invited the director to screen the new film at his residence to an audience of prominent Pakistanis.
Although it is not clear exactly how Sharif proposes to change existing legislation, Obaid-Chinoy said his reaction was a pleasant surprise.
"This could be (Sharif's) legacy ... that no woman in this country should be killed in the name of honor, and if she is, people should go to jail for it," she said.
"The world is watching." - Reuters
November 08, 2025: Veteran journalist Javed Iqbal Jaidi passes away in Shorkot after a long illness. Friends remember his humor, humility, and lifelong dedication to journalism.
November 07, 2025: JournalismPakistan.com launches a Middle East section to expand regional reporting. New coverage will follow JPâs editorial SOPsâverification, balanced sourcing, and two-stage reviewâplaced between Asia and World on the Home Page.
November 07, 2025: Russia accuses Pakistanâs Frontier Post of anti-Russia bias; the paper defends press freedom and independence. A diplomatic clash over media narratives.
November 07, 2025: Veteran journalist Javed Chaudhry bids farewell to Express News after 18 years on Kal Tak, marking the end of an era in Pakistani television journalism.
November 06, 2025: Information Minister Attaullah Tararâs job offer to Nukta staff draws criticism as hundreds of journalists across Pakistan face layoffs, salary delays, and job insecurity.
November 06, 2025: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announces jobs for 37 laid-off Nukta employees, saying they will be placed at digital platforms within 48 hours amid growing media uncertainty.
November 05, 2025: PTIâs Faisal Chaudhryâs witty reply to Gharidah Farooqi on GTVâs âG for Gharidahâ goes viral as a clip from their debate over the 27th Amendment sparks reactions online.
November 05, 2025: Digital platform Nukta lays off 37 employees in Pakistan, including journalists and producers, highlighting the financial struggles facing new media ventures in a shrinking job market.
November 07, 2025 UN and rights groups warn of escalating media repression in Myanmar, citing arrests, censorship, and digital surveillance that threaten to erase independent journalism.
November 07, 2025 Iran has intensified online censorship, blocking independent news sites and social channels, sparking protests from journalist groups over the growing suppression of press freedom.
November 07, 2025 Six Turkish journalists have been summoned over coverage of opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, raising fresh concerns about press freedom and political repression in Turkey.
November 07, 2025 Over 285 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023, exposing a severe impunity crisis and raising calls for global action to protect press freedom.
November 07, 2025 Arab states are tightening digital content laws, with new regulations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt raising fresh concerns about media freedom and online expression.