Written By: Mahmood Khan
Published By: ANI News Agency
Wani is one of the most painful manifestations of gender-based injustice in Pakistan. It is a customary practice in which a girl or young woman is given in marriage to another family as part of a settlement of a dispute, often involving murder, honour, or a long-running tribal conflict. The girl herself is rarely responsible for the dispute, yet she is treated as a bargaining instrument for restoring peace between families.
The tragedy of wani is not simply that it violates a woman’s freedom; it exposes a deeper social problem in which traditions, tribal pressure, poverty, patriarchy and weak enforcement of law can combine to deny vulnerable people their fundamental rights.
At the heart of wani is the idea that a woman can be used to compensate for the actions of others. A family may be pressured to hand over a daughter to the family of an aggrieved party. In some cases, the girl is very young and has no meaningful opportunity to consent.
This transforms marriage from a relationship based on dignity, choice and mutual respect into an instrument of punishment and reconciliation. The girl effectively pays a price for a crime or conflict in which she had no involvement.
Such practices also perpetuate the notion that women are the property or responsibility of men and families rather than autonomous citizens with rights of their own.
The Human Cost
The consequences can be devastating. A woman forced into such a marriage may enter a household where she is regarded not as a wife but as compensation for a wrong committed by someone else. She may face emotional abuse, social isolation, domestic violence and lifelong insecurity.
Children born from such marriages can also experience the consequences of family hostility and stigma. Instead of ending a cycle of conflict, wani can transfer that conflict into a new generation.
The psychological impact is particularly serious. A young woman who is separated from her family and forced to live among people connected with an old dispute may experience fear, humiliation and a profound loss of identity.
Tradition Cannot Justify Injustice
Supporters of customary dispute resolution sometimes argue that practices such as wani help prevent bloodshed and restore peace. Resolving disputes peacefully is certainly desirable. But peace achieved through the forced sacrifice of an innocent person cannot be regarded as genuine justice.
Culture and tradition deserve respect when they promote human dignity, social harmony and moral values. But no tradition should be immune from criticism when it violates fundamental rights.
Pakistan's Constitution guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Forced marriage and practices that deprive women of their free consent are also incompatible with Pakistan's legal and human-rights framework.
The challenge, therefore, is not to attack culture itself but to distinguish between positive cultural traditions and customs that perpetuate injustice.
Why Does Wani Survive?
Wani does not survive because there is a single cause. Several factors contribute to its persistence. In some rural areas, tribal and family structures remain extremely influential. People may fear social exclusion if they challenge influential elders. Poverty and lack of education can further restrict women's choices.
Another major problem is the gap between law and implementation. Pakistan has legislation intended to protect women, but laws are meaningful only when police, courts and local authorities enforce them effectively.
Women who resist forced marriages may also lack financial independence, legal knowledge or family support. Consequently, the formal protection provided by law may not always reach those who need it most.
Ending wani requires more than legislation. Pakistan needs a comprehensive social response.
First, the law must be enforced without compromise. No jirga, panchayat or informal gathering should be permitted to order the marriage of a woman as compensation for a dispute.
Second, education is essential. Girls and boys must learn about equality, consent, constitutional rights and the dignity of every human being.
Third, women need accessible legal and social support. Victims of forced marriage should have safe shelters, legal assistance and protection from retaliation.
Fourth, religious scholars, tribal elders, teachers, journalists and community leaders should openly reject practices that have no legitimate moral or religious justification.
Finally, the media has an important responsibility. Instead of treating wani as an exotic rural custom, journalism should expose its human consequences and give victims a voice.
Wani is not merely a dispute-resolution custom; it is a profound violation of human dignity. A society cannot claim to uphold justice while punishing innocent women for crimes committed by others.
Pakistan's progress should be measured not only by economic growth, technology or infrastructure, but also by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.
No daughter should ever be offered as compensation for a crime she did not commit. No woman should become the price of someone else's conflict. Ending wani is therefore not simply a women's-rights issue—it is a test of Pakistan's commitment to justice, equality and humanity.
