No place for honour-killing in Islam: PM Nawaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Lauding the efforts of Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday said that there is no place in Islam for killing in the name of honour.

The prime minister said his government was in the process of legislating to stop such brutal and inhumane acts in the name of honour.

"Women like Ms. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are not only a pride for the Pakistani nation, but are also a significant contribution to the society," he said in a statement, congratulating the filmmaker on winning the Oscar award for the second time.

Sharmeen received the award in the category of Best Documentary (Short Subject) for "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”, a film that highlights the issue of honour-killings in Pakistan.

The documentary tells the real-life story of an 18-year-old Pakistani girl who survives a brutal attack by her own family bent on killing her for their ‘honour’ after she elopes with the man she loves.

This is the second time that the 37-year-old Pakistani filmmaker has won an Oscar award. She previously received the award in the same category in 2012 for her documentary “Saving Face”, which highlighted the plight of acid attack victims in the country.

On February 22, Sharmeen’s Oscar nominated documentary was screened at a programme held at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad where Sharif said that the government is set to formulate legislation to put a curb on the killings of women in the name of honour.