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PM Nawaz vows to eradicate honour killings after Oscar nod
[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... vowed Pakistain would eradicate "evil" honour killings as he congratulated director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on her Oscar nomination for a harrowing documentary on the practice. "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness," which follows the story of a rare survivor, was nominated in the documentary short category of the Academy Awards on Thursday. Hundreds of women are reportedly murdered by their relatives in Pakistain each year on the grounds of defending family "honour". Their male murderers are often "pardoned" by relatives under the country's controversial Islamic blood money laws that allow murderers to escape punishment. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office late Thursday offered Chinoy, who made history in 2012 when she won Pakistain's first Oscar for another documentary, Nawaz's congratulations. "Honour killings, the theme of the film, afflict several segments of Pak society," it quoted the premier as saying. He expressed the government's commitment "to rid Pakistain of this evil by bringing in appropriate legislation", the statement continued, adding that Chinoy's "insights" could prove helpful. Chinoy said on Twitter she was "delighted" that the prime minister had made the commitment. Posted by: Fred 2016-01-16 |
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