Supreme Court urges gender-sensitive probes and trials in domestic violence cases

Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, writing for a two-judge Supreme Court bench, declared that effective combat against violence toward women demands gender-sensitive investigations and trials. He called on provincial authorities to provide police with training to identify and overcome patriarchal prejudices. The court affirmed a life term and a Rs500,000 compensation for Habibullah, whose 2011 murder of his wife Aqeela Bibi in Karachi had been upheld by the Sindh High Court.

Kakar highlighted that crimes committed within the privacy of homes, such as domestic homicide, are often “crimes of difficult proof” because evidence can be destroyed and witnesses are reluctant to testify. He warned that law-enforcement agencies must preserve all evidence, avoid using the marital home as a shield for perpetrators, and hold negligent officers accountable. The judgment also noted a disturbing pattern of perpetrators attacking a woman’s character after killing her, reflecting deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes that can infiltrate the justice system.