A report based on monitoring of 95 DPO offices across Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, 24th August 2013: Fourteen more FIRs of honour killings were filed in February than the month before. Thirty one such cases were registered in 18 districts in January while the number went up to 45 in 19 districts in the reporting month says a Free and Fair Election (FAFEN) report released on Saturday.
Jacobabad district with six and Kashmore and Shikarpur with five cases each reported the most honour killings.
FAFEN governance monitors visited offices of District Police Officers (DPOs) in 95 districts to collect data on the number of FIRs filed during February 2013.
Of the 804 FIRs filed for crimes committed against women, 40% were of forced marriage, rape (19%), attack on modesty (19%), offences relating to marriage (15%) and insult to modesty (2%). Cases of offences relating to marriage registered an increase of 63% in February as compared to the month before. The other crimes, however, registered decrease.
As many as 36,358 FIRs were filed during February; 10% less than those filed last month (40,449). The most cases were of crimes pertaining to property, which comprised 21% of the total FIRs. Of the 7,480 cases of property crimes, the most were of theft (43%) while robbery and dacoity (18%) followed. Seventeen percent were cases of motor vehicle lifting and 10% of motor vehicle snatching. Though 37 FIRs of criminal misappropriation of property made only 0.5% of the total crimes pertaining to property, it was a high increase from four cases last month.
Of the 3,213 physical harm cases, hurt was the most widely reported (41%). Twenty six percent FIRs were of attempted murder and 25% murder. Cases of qatl-e-khata followed with 4% cases, illegal confinement 2%, qatli-bis-sabab 2% and terrorism related incidents 1%.
Fifty five percent of the total 2,507 threat and fraud cases were of counterfeiting currency followed by cheating (18%) and criminal breach of trust (16%). Two percent were cases of fraudulent deeds and dispossession of property. Forty four such cases were reported in February compared to only five the month before.
Eight out of ten districts reporting the most crimes were in Punjab. High crime reportage in Punjab does not necessarily mean a high crime rate. It can also be an indication of high reportage, better confidence level between the police and the people and lack of parallel judicial systems. Lahore reported 13% of the total cases, Faisalabad 7% and Peshawar 4%.
