Sharif vows to end honour killings after Pak movie's Oscar nod

Islamabad, Jan 15: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed to eliminate the evil of honour killings while congratulating a Pakistani director who has won an Oscar nomination for her documentary on the issue.

Every year hundreds of women in Pakistan are killed by male relatives in the name of "dishonour" when they marry men of their choice or refuse to marry as per the wishes of family.

Sharif congratulated director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy whose film, "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" has been nominated for an Academy Award. Sharif said honour killings, the theme of the film, afflict several segments of the Pakistani society.

"The Prime Minister also expressed the government's commitment to rid Pakistan of this evil by bringing in appropriate legislation," , an official statement said. Sharif said Chinoy's insights could prove very useful in this connection and invited her to the Prime Minister's House for a screening of her film.

The country's leading opinion makers from different segments of society, academics, and intellectuals will also be invited for the screening. Chinoy made history in 2012 when she won Pakistan's first Oscar for another documentary, titled 'Saving Face' that dealt with the issue of acid attacks on women.

PTI