A jirga in Thull, Jacobabad decided to marry off two minor girls as punishment for their parents’ elopment. According to Aaj News, both the girls are seven years old.
The jirga had decided on the case of Hajira Mangi, a 30-years-old widow and mother, had eloped with a man, Dadu Mangi, who was also married and had daughters. They were accused of committing karo kari.
In order to appease Hajira’s family who said that she had gotten married without their permission, village head Zukfiqar Khan Sarqi was asked to step in and resolve the issue. It was decided that both Hajira’s and Dadu’s daughters from their previous marriages would be wedded off to Hajira’s brothers. Furthermore, the couple were ordered to pay Rs 200,000 as a fine. They paid Rs 50,000 and promised to pay the rest in installments.
According to Aaj News, although jirgas were banned by the Supreme Court in 2019, there has not been a police case filed against the village head or the family for this forced marriage.
18-year-old Hassan Ali killed his mother by stabbing a knife in her stomach because she used to converse with men on her mobile phone. The murder took place on a Tuesday morning in the area of Batapur, Lahore. After committing murder, he sat near his mother’s dead body for eight hours, reports Samaa.
According to the police, Ali ransacked his own house to disguise the scene as a burglary and portrayed the murder of his mother as resistance to robbery. During the investigation, the police arrested Hasaan Ali over contradictory statements.
According to their neighbour, Ali came out in the streets and knocked on every house and said that someone had killed his mother.
Later on, Ali confessed to murdering his mother.
He said, “I stabbed her (mother) in the stomach. While trying to save herself, she lifted a knife due to which her throat slit. Then, again her stomach was stabbed during resistance. I fled from the house and disposed the murder weapon in a canal and then returned back home.”
The deceased’s husband is living in Saudi Arabia for many years and Hassan Ali is the only son of the couple.
An 18-year-old girl of Pakistani origin in Italy is believed to be killed by her family after refusing an arranged marriage. Police in Italy are searching for the body of the girl named Saman Abbas who has been missing since May 5, AFP has reported.
Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Bove of the Carabinieri police has said that the girl’s parents, an uncle and two cousins, are under investigation for murder, adding that all are supposed to have taken part in the crime.
Saman Abbas, who lived in the northern town of Novellara, reportedly refused to come to Pakistan to marry her cousin.
“Saman, tonight you are not alone and you will never again be alone,” Mayor Elena Carletti said in a video posted on the local news website Reggioonline.
In May, Mayra Zulfiqar 24-year-old girl was found dead in Lahore, who had arrived in Pakistan with her parents about two months ago to attend a family wedding. Prior to her brutal murder, she had asked police for protection after accusing a man of abducting her at gunpoint.
Pakistan’s multi-award winning production house Soc Films’ latest documentary, A Life Too Short, debuted at the 11th edition of DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival.
A Life Too Short chronicles the life of social media superstar, the late Qandeel Baloch, who pushed boundaries in conservative Pakistan like no other. She was killed at the age of 26 by her brother who smothered her to death for her open exclamations of women’s equality and sexuality through her sensational social media presence.
“Making this documentary has been a labour of love for more than three years and now that it’s ready to go out into the world, I am both nervous and excited. Undoubtedly, Qandeel had big dreams and the courage to create her own identity but I am left terrified every time I realize that not all women amongst us are afforded their basic right to choose to live however they want. Yet I live for the day when there won’t be a price to pay should a woman choose to follow her heart.” said director Safyah Zafar Usmani while talking about the documentary.
Qandeel’s belongings
“Making biographical films is always tricky, but it’s harder when your subject is as complex and widely misunderstood as Qandeel Baloch. There’s so much more to her story than how it came to an end, but it’s really important for the world to remember the price Qandeel had to pay just because she chose to dream big and remain true to herself, and hopefully, this film will help do that,” said co-director Saad Zubairi.
A Life Too Short was one of the 12 titles showcased this year at DOC NYC The Short List: Shorts. Last year the selection included seven of the ten films that went on to be named to the Oscars Shortlist for Documentary Shorts and three of DOC NYC’s picks went on to be Oscar nominees. This year’s DOC NYC’s winning short will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the Annual Academy Awards in 2021, without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.
Directed by Safyah, co-directed by Saad and produced by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the documentary also features executive producers Sheila Nevins and Guy Oseary, cinematographer Nadir Siddiqui and editor Mishaal Adhaami.
Qandeel’s short but chaotic life has provided inspiration for several works including drama serial Baaghi starring Saba Qamar, Osman Khalid Butt and Ali Kazmi. Journalist Sanam Maher also wrote a book on the life of the late social media sensation titled The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch. The book also recently featured in the New York Times ‘Top 100 books of 2020’ list.
Recently, Sharmeen’s set of short films HOME 1947 won the Best Film [Short Documentary] Award at the South Asian Film Festival of Montréal.
