Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti denounces honour killing of young couple; 14 arrested in a crackdown on extra-judicial violence.
A silent murder under the auspices of honour-based violence has occurred in Balochistan, Pakistan, which has once again sparked a national and international debate on the gendered murder and cultural impunity based on it. According to reports, a young couple was killed because they had married against the wishes of their families. Chief Minister Balochistan and was quick to condemn the act in such strong terms: “No one has the right to take law into their own hands.
A so-called honour killing of a couple in Pakistan's Balochistan has shocked the country and the world, with police arresting 14 suspects in the case so far. The pair was accused of having an extramarital affair, according to Reuters. It was previously reported that the couple married against the wishes of their families. So far, 14 people have been arrested for the cold-blooded murder, including Sher Baz Satazai, the local tribal chief who ordered the killings.
His strong statements rebuking the perpetrators, Sunday said Chief Minster Bugti while addressing the media. This reiterates the firm stance of the provincial government on the rule of law. "We will not let anyone violate the constitution in the name of honour. The law will take its course," he said. Bugti accentuated this with strong public statements following the killing of a couple reportedly married without parental consent.
"No one has a right, no matter what, to kill someone in such a painful and disgusting way, and then video shoot it. It is a crime. It is a murder," Reuters quoted Bugti as saying.
Law enforcement authority confirmed that 14 suspects were arrested as part of the murder. The suspects have been arrested through a joint operation between the local police and provincial security forces. Investigators have established that the killings are premeditated and originated from family pressure to "restore honour," which has been trashed by human rights organizations as a defense of murder. The deaths in Pakistan's Balochistan province last month were brought to light after a video of the couple being shot went viral on social media.
In an update on the case, regional police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari said that the guy who shot and killed the woman was her brother, acting on behalf of her family and clan. The killing was authorized by the tribe's chief, Sher Baz Satakzai, he added.
Moreover, Pakistan can be seen to continue reeling from the entrenched custom of killing under the guise of honour. These killings are executed by family members, particularly women, because an action performed by them is considered as breaching the regressive norms of behavior that rule the domestic lives of their men. Hundreds of such killings are reported every year, according to HRCP but unending because of stigma and inertia dished out by institutions.
In this case, the couple had been married, which was said to have been done against the tribal customs, and as such deemed "dishonourable", the family judged it to be so honored,and murdered them.
Pakistan has made honour killings criminal punishable through its legislative amendments, including the Anti-Honour Killing Law of 2016, which hinders families from forgiving the murderers, but this implementation has never been uniformly dispensed. Rights advocates argue that cultural legitimatization of the act and weak enforcement in the judiciary hinder real deterrence.
Bugti's condemnation appears to be because of the growing realization by provincial leadership that symbolic denunciation must be followed by concrete judicial accountability.
International watchdogs have also turned the matter to criticize Pakistan indefinitely. This has always been echoed every time the country has failed to significantly protect its vulnerable groups, specifically women and minorities, against culturally sanctioned violence. By arresting and giving high commentary, the Balochistan government seems to be taking a positive approach about these crimes, but critics would argue that systemic change would require commitment on these institutions over a significant period.
According to Pakistan's Human Rights Commission, at least 405 "honour killings" occurred in 2024, and the authorities were criticized for failing to put an end to these atrocities.
