At least 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of a Pakistani couple in a remote mountainous area of Balochistan that was captured on video, sparking outrage over what is thought to be another “honor” killing.
The killings, which took place last month, were reportedly ordered by a local tribal council, or jirga, to allegedly defend the “honor” of their families after the couple married against the families’ wishes.
The identities of the victims have not been made public.
The killings were captured in a video that went viral across social media platforms. The footage shows the woman holding a copy of the Koran and asking the man to walk seven steps with her before she would accept being shot.
She is seen standing and remaining defiant even after being hit by the first gunshots, and eventually collapses after multiple shots are fired.
The video also depicts attackers continuing to shoot both victims after they had fallen, with several pickup trucks and SUVs present at the scene, suggesting the couple and their assailants had been brought there deliberately.
Zahra Shah, a women’s rights activist based in Karachi, called the video “heart‑wrenching” and urged women to keep fighting for their rights, saying, “this cruelty of honor killings must stop.”
Balochistan’s chief minister Sarfraz Bugti has pledged that a full investigation will continue and all responsible parties will be prosecuted.
The government has taken the unusual step of acting as the complainant since the families of the victims initially did not report the killings.
Every year, hundreds of women are killed across Pakistan. Most are killed by close relatives or men known to them in what are known as honor killings. At least 405 “honor” killing incidents were reported in 2024 alone, predominantly targeting women.
Despite international and domestic calls for stronger enforcement against “honor” violence, tribal councils in rural regions continue to wield considerable influence, often meting out deadly punishments for marriages pursued without family consent.
“The continued failure of the government of Pakistan to curb the extralegal power of jirgas or tribal councils to run parallel legal systems perpetuating patriarchal violence with impunity is extremely concerning,” Amnesty International said in 2023.
“It is not enough to arrest people after such attacks take place. The authorities must end impunity for violence and abolish so-called village and tribal councils that prescribe such horrific crimes.”
