Sabahat Sarwar
Karachi: Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho has taken notice of two separate incidents of violence against women in Khairpur and Mirpurkhas and directed police to ensure transparent and impartial investigations and bring the suspects to justice. In Faiz Ganj, 50 year old Arbab Khatoon was allegedly killed with an axe during a dispute between two groups in Ranjho Khaskheli village. According to reports, the incident was reportedly linked to an honour-related dispute.
In a separate incident in Mirpurkhas, Sohail a resident of Ismail Shah Colony, allegedly threw acid on his wife, Kainat Malik. Taking notice of both cases, the IGP directed the concerned officers to take all possible measures to arrest the suspects and ensure that the investigations were conducted without bias or discrimination. He said violence against women, acid attacks and so-called honour crimes were unacceptable and that those involved must face legal action. IGP odho also sought reports from the concerned officers and warned that negligence or failure to properly investigate such cases would not be tolerated.
The incidents come amid broader concerns over GBV across the country. A report released by human rights organisation Sahil on July 23, 2026, documented 3,172 cases of gender-based violence against women across Pakistan during the first six months of the year, including 18 cases involving transgender persons. According to the report, the cases included 664 murders, 514 incidents of torture, 462 abductions, 363 suicides, 280 rape cases, 175 cases of injuries, 132 honour killings and 21 incidents classified as other forms of violence.
The report noted that the ages of victims were unavailable or unverified in 71% of the cases. Among cases where the victims’ ages were recorded, 306 were between 11 and 20 years old, 334 between 21 and 30 and 120 between 31 and 40. More than half of the reported incidents or 54% occurred inside victims’ homes, while 25% took place at unspecified locations. The remaining 21% were reported at other locations.
Acquaintances were identified as alleged perpetrators in 26.6% of the cases, followed by strangers at 24.1%. The perpetrator was unidentified or not mentioned in 19.9% of cases, while 16.6% were attributed to others and 12.8% to husbands. Punjab recorded the highest share of reported cases at 74%, followed by Sindh at 17% and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 6%. Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory and Azad Jammu and Kashmir collectively accounted for the remaining 3%.
