Pakistan, July 29 -- The recent killing of Bano Bibi in the name of honour in Balochistan - followed closely by the killing of TikToker Samira Rajput in Ghotki, Sidra Bibi, a 19-year-old bride in Rawalpindi, and the case of 19-year-old Shanti, a new bride who died at the hands of sexual violence in Lyari, Karachi - has triggered national outrage. But these are not isolated incidents; they are violent echoes of a social order built on patriarchy - a system that enables and even rewards gender-based violence under the guise of "honour."

The phenomenon of honour killing is deeply entrenched in our social fabric, enabled by tribal customs, informal justice systems, and political silence. These tragedies are not rare - they are routine. What ...