Awaiting Justice: The Tragic Tale of Shaheena Shaheen

Shaheena (25), a young and enthusiastic journalist, lived with her four sisters and mother in the province of Balochistan. The absence of a patriarch left the burden of the family on her. She was smart, talented, and extremely ambitious. Her slender figure made her look deceivingly fragile which was rather convincingly overpowered by her unfaltering courage and sheer commitment to face any challenge that was thrown her way. She had hope, had ambitions – little did she know they will all be crushed in a matter of a few seconds.

Saira, an acquaintance of hers recounts her days with Shaheena. She met her for the first time when Shaheena was a student in her first year, she visited along with her younger sister. According to her, Shaheena had the drive to challenge the norms, to excel, to fight back, and while her acquaintance explains that she had no doubt Shaheena could do it all, become everything she aspired to be, still she had this fear that the world has its way of changing the course and pressurize anyone to fall prey to the societal norms. And that is exactly what happened to Shaheena when she came under pressure from society’s demands and gave in to the idea of marriage. The marriage altered the course of her life.

Shaheena was the editor of a Balochi Magazine Razgahar (Saheli – friend). She was also an activist and artist who was vocal about human rights and women’s rights issues. Four years ago, Shaheena worked as an anchor and morning show host at PTV Bolan – Pakistan Television Network’s regional service based in Quetta, Balochistan. Shaheena got busy in her world after her marriage and Saira in hers. They later met again after a few months of her marriage and according to her acquaintance, Shaheena had completely changed. She became silent, that drive she once had, the shine in her eyes had completely worn off. It was like she had become a completely different person. Saira recalls their interaction that day, when she inquired a little about Shaheena’s life she responded, “people have narrow minds”. She wanted to say more, to divulge more details yet something kept her from doing so. She became quiet afterward and Saira too thought it better not to inquire further. They later kept in touch over messages but Saira could never decipher what changed Shaheena to this extent.

It was on September 5, 2021, that Saira got a message that Shaheena had been killed, she was at a party and was taken aback by what she had just read. She told others around her about it, they all felt sorry but after a few minutes they all moved on to other conversations. Precisely how the world works. It was just another case of murder of a woman. But Saira could not do that, she could not move on this easily, she knew Shaheena – both her old version and the new one. She saw her change from a

passionate and committed young woman to someone who had fallen prey to the harsh realities of the world. She found it hard to get over this unfortunate news.

As the events of the dark day unfolded, it was found she received three bullet wounds and succumbed to her injuries. “The killing was the result of domestic violence,” according to some, “while others rule it as a case of honor killing”. Reports and FIR (filed by Shaheena’s maternal uncle) suggest that she was brought to the Teaching Hospital in Turbat by her husband, but could not survive the injuries. After killing Shaheena at his uncle’s residence in the PTCL Colony, her husband drove her in a car and dropped her at the hospital. He then left the car at the scene and fled. This information was shared by district Kech’s superintendent of police Najeeb Panjrani within the press release. The police had later alerted all the checkpoints across Turbat to apprehend the culprit.

It has been two years since her death, yet her husband roams around free. He has yet to be caught and charged for the heinous crime he has committed. Her family took to the roads to get their daughter justice, they have left no stone unturned to make sure her killer is caught and Shaheena gets the justice she deserves. But it all has been in vain. It is almost like no one cares that she is gone. Shaheena was her family’s entire support system, they suffered massively after her demise. As her sister Masooma iterates,

“It has been two years and we do not know what a comfortable sleep feels like. It seems like not just Shaheena was killed that day but that we were all killed with her. We are living, breathing souls but are dead on the inside. In these past two years, we have visited the police stations every day but they have no affirmative answer. They tell us every time that they are trying to catch the murderer and that they are trying to gather more details about the murder.”

She said that they have reached out to everyone and exhausted all their sources yet no one has helped them in this regard.

Tired of expecting the police to follow due process, the family and their supporters carried out a protest on January 18, 2022, outside the police station. The protest was called off after the police asked for a little more time to arrest the culprit. Masooma adds, “We have been waiting for progress on the matter but there has been none so far. We have also received threats from the killer’s family to let go of the case, else face consequences. We have reached out to the police regarding these threats as well, but they have yet to do anything about it. I also posted on social media regarding these threats and have warned that if anything were to happen

to me or my family, the killer’s family will be responsible for it.”

Shaheena’s murder raised alarm across the masses and her murder was condemned by several political representatives and media platforms. Balochistan government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani and Finance Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi separately condemned the murder. They said the culprits in the case will be brought to book. Media watchdog Freedom Network in a tweet said it was “shocked” at Shaheena’s murder and called upon the Balochistan government to bring the perpetrators to justice.[1] The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, also denounced the killing of the television journalist.

Even with promises and commitments expressed by the government representatives, nothing concrete has yet happened. This case raises a lot of questions. Will Shaheena ever get the justice she deserves? Why has there been no progress in the past two years? Was her blood cheaper or was the murderer’s status more powerful? She was a journalist, her murder should have caused ripples within the journalist community, unfortunately, the media too fell short of the support that should have been extended to one of their own. They could have leveraged their positions, and their exposure to bring to the limelight Shaheena’s cause and made sure she gets the justice she deserved. But that too was an unfortunately lagging.

The police in their defense uphold they are doing all they can to bring justice to the slain journalist. They say that they have blocked the NIC of the alleged murderer, as per law, to deter his escape plans. However, they also added that since Turbat borders Iran, and there is a lot of illegal movement across borders, so a possibility of the killer fleeing

to Iran could be entertained. The question remains – where has the investigation been lagging? Are the police at fault? The investigators? Is the influence of the murderer’s family causing problems in exerting justice? Was the issue not raised enough to gather attention? Did her life not matter?

Whatever the reason, the truth is a prominent journalist –   who spoke out for the rights of other women was known for her opinions and was a vocal advocate of women – was denied justice herself. Whether it was a case of domestic violence or honor killing, the reason does not justify the murder. Women are seldom treated as equals. In areas such as Balochistan where women are only respected until they stay at home and the minute they attempt to work as a professional, they are labeled disparagingly. Most face harassment and unwanted advances, they face character assassination at the behest of their profession. Shaheena manifested that worldly expectations and judgments wore her down. Her work and efforts may have been tainted by the judgments of society. Irrespective of the situation, there is no honor in killing. Shaheena’s murderer should be arrested and brought to justice. It should set a precedent for all; his punishment should be strong enough to convince the upholders of this patriarchal society that they cannot go scot-free after murdering their women. They will be held responsible and there are serious repercussions for their actions. Justice for Shaheena will serve a purpose and may save many more lives from being lost to the male ego. There have been uncountable incidences of women getting killed for honor, or as a result of domestic violence, the majority of which were never highlighted by the media as it is any other day in the life of Pakistani people. This mindset needs alteration, women matter, and their lives matter, irrespective of who they are, and where they live.

[1] Shah, Syed Ali. “Woman Journalist Shot Dead in Balochistan’s Turbat.” DAWN.COM, 10 Sept. 2020, https://www.dawn.com/news/1578087.