Lahore: The Lahore High Court has ruled that a compromise between the parties in a case involving an alleged honour killing does not give the accused an automatic right to bail.
Justice Syed Farhad Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court Multan Bench rejected the bail petitions of accused Nasir and Parvez, who are accused of shooting and killing 18-year-old Najma Mai in the name of so-called honour.
In its judgment, the court stated that neither Pakistani law nor religion permits killing in the name of honour. The court observed that honour killings are contrary to the right to life and liberty guaranteed under Article 9 of the Constitution.
The judgment further stated that customs and practices inconsistent with fundamental rights cannot be accepted in light of Article 8 of the Constitution.
The court ruled that even if the parties reach a compromise in an honour-killing case, the settlement does not entitle the accused to bail. It also held that affidavits submitted by the complainant and witnesses retracting their earlier statements were insufficient grounds for granting bail.
The judgment noted that under Section 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), an honour killing is a non-compoundable offence and cannot simply be resolved through a private settlement.
The court consequently dismissed the bail petitions of the two accused in the case concerning the killing of the 18-year-old woman.
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