In a viral video, a “couple”, now identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah, were seen being taken to a desolate desert spot by more than a dozen men dressed in traditional Pathani suits and turbans, using pickup trucks. Moments later, as the jirga men got off the trucks and pulled out their automatic rifles and pistols, the couple were seen marching ahead into the Baloch wilderness. Then, sharp sounds of gunfire rang out. The couple, accused by the jirga of having an “illicit relationship”, were gunned down from close range in broad daylight, with the woman’s brother among the group of men.
Now, months after the gruesome incident, reported to have occurred in June, and following much hue and cry by civil rights activists and Baloch groups, 13 men, including tribal chief Sardar Sherbaz Satakzai, who ordered the “justice”, have been arrested by the Balochistan provincial police, reported news agency Reuters.
The killings, ordered by tribal leader Satakzai, were a result of the couple’s alleged “illicit relationship”, which was deemed unacceptable by the jirga, or tribal council. The name Satakzai suggests a Pashto tribal clan.
In Pakistan, dishonour killings, particularly prevalent among tribal communities, claim over 1,000 lives annually, with Balochistan reporting 32 cases in 2024 alone.
BROTHER PULLED THE TRIGGER TO DEFEND FAMILY ‘HONOUR’
DISHONOUR KILLING A BIG PROBLEM IN PAKISTAN
Dishonour killings remain a grave issue in Pakistan, with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reporting at least 405 cases in 2024, including 335 women and 119 men.
“Such acts are a violation of basic human rights, and it is shameful that these killings still continue,” the Commission said in a statement. They also criticised the government for not doing enough to prevent these crimes.