Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that protecting women from violence demands not only a shift in societal attitudes but also criminal investigations conducted through a gender-sensitive lens — warning that investigative prejudice can distort the pursuit of justice before evidence ever reaches a judge. The landmark reasoning emerged from a domestic homicide case and carries implications far beyond a single verdict, according to a report in Sri Lanka-based Daily Mirror.

What the Court Said

Writing for a two-member bench, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar stated that police officers must be trained to recognise and actively counter gender and patriarchal biases when handling cases of violence against women. The court observed that violence occurring within homes is routinely treated differently from violence in public spaces — a distinction that disadvantages victims precisely because the private setting makes evidence harder to secure and survivors more vulnerable.

'It confronts a longstanding problem in which violence occurring inside homes is often treated differently from violence in public spaces, even though the private setting can make evidence harder to obtain and victims more vulnerable. The Supreme Court's reasoning exposes an uncomfortable reality: when prejudice enters the investigation, it can distort the search for truth before a judge ever sees the evidence,' the Daily Mirror report quoted.

Why Domestic Homicide Poses a Unique Challenge

The court acknowledged that domestic homicide presents a distinctive challenge to the criminal justice system. There may be no independent eyewitness, physical evidence can be concealed, and family members may be unwilling to testify before police or in court. Crucially, a victim cannot present her own account when the alleged violence results in her death. The apex court stressed that the legal system bears a responsibility to expose the truth rather than allowing the privacy of the matrimonial home to shield perpetrators. Authorities were directed to prioritise identifying, protecting, and preserving all available evidence.

Scale of Gender-Based Violence in Punjab, Pakistan

The ruling arrives against a sobering statistical backdrop. A human rights organisation reported earlier this month that Pakistan's Punjab province alone recorded 195,787 cases involving women and girls between 2021 and 2025, representing nearly 82% of all gender-based violence cases reported across the country during the five-year period, according to the National Gender-Based Violence Crime Report 2021–25 by Peace and Justice Network Pakistan.

Within Punjab, 14,824 domestic violence cases were documented, including 3,746 killings of women. The province also recorded 830 honour killings and 442 cases of burning — comprising 143 acid attacks and 299 stove-burning incidents. Sexual violence accounted for 20,560 cases, including 16,827 rape cases, 2,183 gang-rape cases, 189 instances of custodial sexual violence, and 1,361 incest cases. Kidnapping and abduction formed the largest single category at 90,965 cases.

A Rising Trend, Not a Stable Problem

The data reveals a sharp upward trajectory. Punjab logged 23,032 cases in 2021, rising to 28,080 in 2022, 35,238 in 2023, 52,824 in 2024, and 56,613 in 2025. Whether this reflects increased reporting, increased incidence, or both remains a subject of debate among analysts and rights groups. What is not in dispute is that the judicial intervention now places the investigative process itself under formal scrutiny — a significant institutional signal. How Pakistan's police training machinery responds to the court's directive will determine whether the ruling reshapes ground-level practice or remains a precedent on paper.