New documentary on Kohistan honor killings screened

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 9 years ago

ISLAMABAD - A documentary film - Unveiled: The Kohistan Video Scandal – produced by Canadian filmmakers was screened at the National Press Club Thursday.

The film focuses on the complex honor killings case in Kohistan where five women were brutally murdered for singing and dancing at a wedding in 2012. A mobile phone video of them went viral on social media that gave the case prominence.

Kohistan is a remote district nestled in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Jean-Francois Cautain, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Pakistan inaugurated the documentary.

The documentary is about the slaughtering of girls for honor by a jirga. It features victim Afzal Kohistani's sufferings in seeking justice; the humanitarian efforts of human rights activist Dr. Farzana Bari who took this case to a logical end and the role of investigative journalist Haseeb Khawaja in re-investigating all the cover-ups of the case.

This film has been produced by Digital Warriors Production (Canada) in collaboration with Super Channel (Canada based TV channel), British-Columbia-Arts-Council, Canada Media Fund & Creative BC. Its worldwide (except North America) distributors are Java-Films, a France-based company.

Haseeb Khawaja, the organizer in Pakistan for Digital Warriors Productions (Canada) and Java Films (France) said in his welcome speech: "This film portrays Pakistan's positive image. I request those who criticize foreign filmmakers for almost always portraying Pakistan negatively, to must watch the documentary.”

He said this documentary had been made with a pure positive humanitarian intention by internationally renowned Canadian filmmakers. “We have started a campaign across Pakistan for spreading awareness through this film on jirga's inhuman role regarding women's so-called honor killings.

Khawaja said the film will be shown on different TV channels in several countries. The Canadian filmmakers will also present this movie at several international film festivals worldwide.

The film’s director Brishkay speaking to the audience through Skype, said: "I hope this film reveals the larger story to the public and I hope investigative journalist Haseeb Khawaja, activist Dr. Farzana Bari and victim Afzal Kohistani get more support from the public and media because they have worked hard to bring the whole truth out and to have justice served.

“Amina, Begum Jan, Shaheen, Bazigah, and Shireen - the five murdered girls -are Pakistani citizens like all of you sitting in this room. They deserve the same rights that you all have and that you all deserve. Please don't just associate them with ideas of village life and tribal customs.”

Producer Elizabeth also spoke via Skype."We want to show the world that Pakistan is not a kind of place where just bad people live, this country is also full of wonderful peaceful progressive people like Haseeb Khawaja,  Afzal Kohistani (victim) and Dr. Farzana Bari who stand against inhuman activities and are performing their responsibilities to protect and promote humanity.”

Dr. Farzana Bari said: "I don't want to see more bloodshed. Government must provide protection to me, Afzal Kohistani and Haseeb Khawaja because our lives are also in serious danger by following the Kohistan video case. If something happens to us or if we are not alive then the case should be registered against male family members of the murdered girls and their jirga's head.”

Afzal Kohistani said that all girls in the video had been killed and those brought before the inquiry commission were not the same. "Now Supreme Court of Pakistan has finally reopened our Kohistan video case which was still waiting for fair justice despite so many years having passed."

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