At least 11 suspects, including a tribal leader, have been arrested for their alleged participation in the murder of a man and a woman in Baluchistan after a video of the murder became viral on social networks, and the case was now delivered to the investigation wing of serious crimes (Sciw), the police said.
Police Superintendent (SP) Sciw Syed Saboor Agha said Dawn.com“Eleven people have been arrested, including a tribal leader who issued directives to shoot the couple, and all of them will appear before a judicial magistrate today.”
The viral video showed a group of men who lead a couple of vehicles and were in a desert before shooting them with guns and shooting the bodies. Political figures and activists said it was a ‘honor’ murder incident. On Sunday, Baluchistan’s prime minister, Sarfraz Bugti, announced in X that he had ordered the Baluchistan police to take immediate measures, after what a suspect was arrested.
According to a first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com -Regrated by the station station officer (SHO) navigated Akhtar at the Hanna-Erak police station in Quetta, presented the complaint after receiving the video clip that had gone viral on social networks, showing a man and a woman who was killed and brutally murdered by armed people.
Sho Akhtar declared that he, along with his team, arrived at the Dagari of Baluchistan, located on the outskirts of Quetta and, after the investigation, discovered that the incident occurred three days before Eidul Azha in the Sanjidi area in Dagari.
“The victims seen in the viral video have been identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah,” said the FIR, naming eight suspects who allegedly killed the couple. The FIR also mentioned 15 other unknown suspects involved in the incident.
Talking with Dawn.comSho Naveed Akhtar said: “Due to the nature of the murder, the case has now been transferred to the investigation of serious crimes for greater investigation.”
Before being killed, the victims were supposedly taken to a tribal leader, who declared them guilty of being involved in an ‘immoral relationship’ (locally called ‘Karo Kari’) and ordered their execution, after which they were taken to the [desert] And he killed, said the fir.
“The murder was filmed and uploaded to social networks to spread fear and panic among the public,” he added.
According to the FIR, there was a case against the suspects under sections 302 (murder), 149 (illegal assembly), 148 (disturbances while it was armed with a deadly weapon), 147 (disturbances) of the Pakistan Criminal Code and the Terrorism Law, 1997.
The incident was widely condemned by politicians, civil society and public activists, who described it “barbarian” and urged the government to take quick measures against perpetrators.
The president of PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, called the suspects “beasts”, saying that they did not deserve concessions. “I have faith that the criminals involved in this murder will be taken before justice soon,” he said, according to the State Associated Press of Pakistan (app). “This murder should be a trial case for the Baluchistan government, since it is gender terrorism.”
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif shared the video in an X post, with a message for the people of Baluchistan. Referring to the growing militancy in the province, he said: “Those who have taken arms against the State, begin to raise their voice against the unjust system that surrounds it.”
He continued that those responsible for this “oppression are their own brothers, not travelers and workers from other provinces,” pointing out the recent bus attack in the Kalat district of Baluchistan, which left three dead people and other similar incidents in the recent past.
The vice president of the PPP, Senator Sherry Rehman, also condemned the murder in an X position, labeling it as an “unforgivable crime.”
“Crushing the right to marry is a violation of fundamental human rights. The murder in the name of tribal decisions is a despicable act. The cycle of brutality in the name of honor must be stopped,” he wrote.
“When killing the married couple without mercy, not only the law and justice have been insulted, but the authority of the provincial government has also been challenged,” Rehman added. “The oppression and barbarism chapter under the appearance of Jirgas must be closed.”
The senator emphasized that perpetrators must be taken before justice and that the legislation to end the “obsolete customs” was indispensable.
Baloch Sammi Deen Baloch activated the shooting as a “honor” murder, appealing Baloch’s elders to “respect women’s decisions.”
“As a woman, this chilling incident is deeply painful and heartbreaking for me,” he wrote about X. “Killing any woman in the name of honor is not only an atrocious crime but also the worst humiliation of humanity.
“Apello to the tribal elders of Baloch and Pashtun, influential sections of society and intellectuals to respect women’s decisions. Today’s woman is the same educated woman, conscious and totally capable of making decisions about her future.”
He demanded that the murder be investigated transparently and integrally so that the suspects were taken before justice and “nobody dares to repeat such a barbarian act in the future.”
In Pakistan, ‘honor’ murders continued to claim the lives of women throughout 2024, perpetuated by deeply rooted social beliefs about family dignity and shame.
Pakistan Human Rights Commission data show that in 2024, ‘honor’ murders continued to be a serious problem in all Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab. From January to November, a total of 346 people were victims of “honoring” crimes in the country.
The previous two years also saw a constant increase in murders related to the so -called ‘honor’.
