Very Unmerciful in Rape Situations

om the National Society for Human Rights, has now retracted the allegations of physical and sexual abuse against her father.

But according to Umm Abdul Aziz, the 28-year-old neighbor who first alerted authorities to the alleged abuse, Zarni’s mother convinced her to retract her allegations in order to get her father out of jail. And now her family has arranged for a marriage to a paternal cousin.

Umm Abdul Aziz said she received information from Zarni’s maternal cousin that, following the marriage, she will be flown back to Pakistan.

“When she reaches Pakistan it will be her end, literally,” said Umm Abdul Aziz. “She comes from a Balochi tribal family and they are known to be very unmerciful in rape situations. The only way they solve it is by killing the woman.” It is generally referred to as honor killing.

In an interview with Arab News in June, Zarni described in detail her reaction the first time she was allegedly abused by her father.

“I cried for three days,” she had said in that interview. “I went directly to my relatives and told them about my father’s action, but they told me to go back to him.”

Zarni had also alleged that her father was mentally unstable, breaking items and “hitting himself.” She said her father became anguished after hearing of the death of an old lover back in Pakistan, and that he told his daughter that she reminded him of the old flame. She also claimed that she had attempted suicide “a number of times” over the course of three years of alleged abuse. The woman said she was afraid to go to the police fearing they wouldn’t believe her. Zarni also alleged that she became pregnant from her father and got a clandestine abortion.

Now of course it’s possible that this Zarni woman suffers, as her father maintains, from “mental disorders”, made the whole thing up, and has now finally come to her senses. But….well, she didn’t, did she?…make the whole thing up. It’s really not possible to read the article, knowing the status of women generally in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, without believing that this woman was indeed sexually abused by her father, aborted his child, was helped out by a caring neighbour, but has now been pressured to recant. It’s also very likely that she’ll be killed sooner or later – probably sooner – for bringing dishonour to her family. And the only item in the story which marks it out from scores of others is the redoubtable Umm Abdul Aziz, who for all her troubles has received death threats and had her apartment broken into.