Pakistan arrests 13 suspects as ‘honour killing’ video goes viral

Pakistan arrests 13 suspects as ‘honour killing’ video goes viral

Thirteen arrested in Balochistan province for alleged involvement in the killing of a couple ordered by a tribal leader.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani authorities have arrested at least 13 individuals, including a tribal leader, in connection with the killing of a couple in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
The arrests came in response to widespread outrage after a social media video of the murders went viral. Many people referred to it as yet another instance of "honor killing," a phenomenon that has been reported throughout South Asia. The police filed a first information report (FIR) on Monday, identifying the couple as Bano Bibi and her husband Ehsan Ullah and claiming that they were likely killed in May near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.Honour killings, which have mostly been reported from Pakistan and India, frequently arise from a belief that a person is dishonoring their family, tribe, or caste. This is especially true in love marriages, where two people marry without the permission of their families or tribes, or elope. Many of these murders go unreported. Official from Balochistan police, Syed Suboor Agha, told Al Jazeera that they are looking into the situation and are likely to make additional arrests, including Bano's brother, who "is still at large" and is believed to be responsible for the murders. In the killings' viral videos, armed men are seen huddled around cars in a deserted area. Bano is ordered by the crowd to stand away from the vehicles as the couple is pumped with bullets, even on their motionless bodies lying bleeding on the sand.
The FIR identifies eight suspects and 15 unidentified individuals involved in the incident. The FIR claims that the couple was brought before Sardar Sherbaz Khan, a local tribal leader, who said they were guilty of having an "immoral relationship" and ordered their death. "The tyranny of medieval customs" Regarding "honor killings" and other forms of violence against women, Pakistan has a poor track record. More than 32,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported nationwide in 2024, including 547 instances of "honor killings," 32 of which occurred in Balochistan and only one resulted in a conviction, according to the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), an independent organization based in Islamabad. The killings in the name of honor, according to Harris Khalique, general secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the country's leading rights watchdog, demonstrate that the "tyranny of medieval practices" is still prevalent in many parts of Pakistan. Khalique stated to Al Jazeera, "The state, rather than establishing the rule of law and ensuring the right to life of its citizens, has protected the tribal chiefs and feudal lords who guard such practices to perpetuate their power over local people and resources."
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populous province and mineral-rich Balochistan, has also seen decades of conflict between the government and ethnic Baloch separatists who want the country to secede. Women's slayings have become "a matter of routine" in the province, according to rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch, who is also a member of a Baloch women's rights group. “Women are killed for love in Balochistan, vanished for protest, and buried beneath layers of tribal authority and state-backed silence. These tragedies are not isolated. She stated to Al Jazeera, "They are the cost of a system designed to keep Balochistan obedient and its women expendable." If the video hadn't gone viral, according to Baloch, the government wouldn't have done anything about the murders. “Baloch women are caught between two forms of violence: the cold repression of the state and the brutality of tribal patriarchy. She stated, "One kills in the name of law, the other kills in the name of silence." It is not accidental that the state has refused to democratize Balochistan. It is a rule. The state keeps the region controlled, its women disposable, and its dissidents criminal by outsourcing governance to feudal strongmen.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani authorities have arrested at least 13 individuals, including a tribal leader, in connection with the killing of a couple in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
The arrests came in response to widespread outrage after a social media video of the murders went viral. Many people referred to it as yet another instance of "honor killing," a phenomenon that has been reported throughout South Asia. The police filed a first information report (FIR) on Monday, identifying the couple as Bano Bibi and her husband Ehsan Ullah and claiming that they were likely killed in May near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.Honour killings, which have mostly been reported from Pakistan and India, frequently arise from a belief that a person is dishonoring their family, tribe, or caste. This is especially true in love marriages, where two people marry without the permission of their families or tribes, or elope. Many of these murders go unreported. Official from Balochistan police, Syed Suboor Agha, told Al Jazeera that they are looking into the situation and are likely to make additional arrests, including Bano's brother, who "is still at large" and is believed to be responsible for the murders. In the killings' viral videos, armed men are seen huddled around cars in a deserted area. Bano is ordered by the crowd to stand away from the vehicles as the couple is pumped with bullets, even on their motionless bodies lying bleeding on the sand.
The FIR identifies eight suspects and 15 unidentified individuals involved in the incident. The FIR claims that the couple was brought before Sardar Sherbaz Khan, a local tribal leader, who said they were guilty of having an "immoral relationship" and ordered their death. "The tyranny of medieval customs" Regarding "honor killings" and other forms of violence against women, Pakistan has a poor track record. More than 32,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported nationwide in 2024, including 547 instances of "honor killings," 32 of which occurred in Balochistan and only one resulted in a conviction, according to the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), an independent organization based in Islamabad. The killings in the name of honor, according to Harris Khalique, general secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the country's leading rights watchdog, demonstrate that the "tyranny of medieval practices" is still prevalent in many parts of Pakistan. Khalique stated to Al Jazeera, "The state, rather than establishing the rule of law and ensuring the right to life of its citizens, has protected the tribal chiefs and feudal lords who guard such practices to perpetuate their power over local people and resources."
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populous province and mineral-rich Balochistan, has also seen decades of conflict between the government and ethnic Baloch separatists who want the country to secede. Women's slayings have become "a matter of routine" in the province, according to rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch, who is also a member of a Baloch women's rights group. “Women are killed for love in Balochistan, vanished for protest, and buried beneath layers of tribal authority and state-backed silence. These tragedies are not isolated. She stated to Al Jazeera, "They are the cost of a system designed to keep Balochistan obedient and its women expendable." If the video hadn't gone viral, according to Baloch, the government wouldn't have done anything about the murders. “Baloch women are caught between two forms of violence: the cold repression of the state and the brutality of tribal patriarchy. She stated, "One kills in the name of law, the other kills in the name of silence." It is not accidental that the state has refused to democratize Balochistan. It is a rule. The state keeps the region controlled, its women disposable, and its dissidents criminal by outsourcing governance to feudal strongmen.

Comments