Not a good week for women!

This has been a devastating week.

A week that lays bare the brutal truth:
That in parts of our world, being a daughter, being a woman—especially an unmarried one—is still dangerous, and to top that, choosing a path not sanctioned by family is a dangerous one. 

Two lives.
Humaira Asghar and Radhika Yadav.
Both young. Both full of promise.
Both chose to live a work life based on their talent and ability. 
And both punished—for being free.

One died in September 24 months her death was discovered only recently.
The other shot in her own kitchen by the man who raised her.

Their crime? They lived on their own terms. 

Humaira Asghar: A Woman Who Chose Her Own Life—and Was Left to Die Alone

Humaira Asghar was a young Pakistani woman who dared to step into the spotlight. She chose to become an actor—a choice still seen in some parts of society as shameful, as dishonourable, as "too much."

She made her own decisions. She followed her passion. She lived independently.

And for that, she was ostracised.

In September 2024, she seems to have had the last connection with anyone. No one came looking. Her family had already cut her off. When her body was finally found—nine months later, decomposed and alone—her father and brother refused to claim her or give her a proper burial.

It’s still unclear how she died. But what’s painfully clear is this:

She died without her family,

She was buried by strangers

She was ostracised in life and death.

Radhika Yadav: Shot by Her Father for Succeeding

24-year-old Radhika Yadav was a tennis coach, a budding player, a YouTuber—and the pride of many. But not, it seems, of her father.

She supported the family financially. She was strong, skilled, and self-made.

And that threatened him.

When neighbours mocked him—“You live off your daughter?”—his fragile masculinity shattered. Instead of owning his pride in her, he chose violence.

He came home, waited until Radhika was cooking, her back turned, and shot her dead.

A betrayal inside the home.
A punishment for being successful.
A life taken not in the heat of the moment, but with quiet, chilling intent.

This wasn’t just murder. This was honour killing, fed by ego, fuelled by a culture that teaches men that a daughter's light should never outshine their own.

When Women Choose Themselves, They Are Still at Risk

Neither Humaira nor Radhika were “asking for it.”
They were simply being—alive, visible, self-driven.

But in a society where:

• Independence is read as rebellion,

• Ambition is seen as arrogance,

• And success is seen as a threat—
  Women are punished.

Especially if they are unmarried.
Especially if they don’t “belong” to a man—father, husband, or brother.

This Is Not Just Personal. It’s Political.

These deaths aren’t private family tragedies.
They are symptoms of a larger, rotting system.

Where a woman choosing her profession is shameful.
Where a daughter earning money is emasculating.
Where male egos are protected more fiercely than female lives.

Radhika’s death was fast and loud.
Humaira’s was silent and slow.
But both were surrounded by the same cruelty:
A refusal to let women live on their own terms.

We Must Speak Their Names

Humaira Asghar.
Radhika Yadav.