At least 11 suspects, including a tribal leader, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in Balochistan after a video of the murder went viral on social media, with the case now handed over to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW), police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Superintendent of Police (SP) SCIW Syed Saboor Agha told Dawn.com<\/em>, \u201cEleven 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The viral video showed a group of men leading a couple out of vehicles and into a desert before gunning them down with pistols and shooting the bodies. Political figures and activists said it was an \u2018honour\u2019 killing incident. On Sunday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced on X<\/a> that he had directed the Balochistan Police to take immediate action, following which one suspect was apprehended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a first information report (FIR) \u2014 a copy of which is available with Dawn.com<\/em> \u2014 registered by the Station House Officer (SHO) Naveed Akhtar at Quetta\u2019s Hanna-Urak Police Station, he lodged the complaint after receiving the video clip that had gone viral on social media, showing a man and a woman being brutally shot and killed by armed individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SHO Akhtar stated that he, along with his team, reached Balochistan\u2019s Dagari, situated on the outskirts of Quetta and, upon investigation, discovered that the incident occurred three days before Eidul Azha in the area of Sanjidi in Dagari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe victims seen in the viral video have been identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah,\u201d the FIR said, naming eight suspects who allegedly shot the couple dead. The FIR also mentioned 15 other unknown suspects involved in the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to Dawn.com<\/em>, SHO Naveed Akhtar said, \u201cOwing to the nature of the murder, the case has now been transferred to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing for further investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to being killed, the victims were allegedly taken to a tribal leader, who declared them guilty of being involved in an \u2018immoral relationship\u2019 (locally termed \u2018Karo Kari\u2019) and ordered their execution, following which they were taken to the [desert] and shot dead, the FIR said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe murder was filmed and uploaded to social media to spread fear and panic among the public,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the FIR, a case was registered against the suspects under Sections 302 (murder), 149 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon), 147 (rioting) of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The incident was widely condemned by politicians, civil society activists, and the public, who termed it \u201cbarbaric\u201d and urged the government to take swift action against the perpetrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called the suspects \u201cbeasts\u201d, saying that they deserved no concessions. \u201cI have faith that the criminals involved in this murder will be brought to justice soon,\u201d he said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)<\/a>.<\/em> \u201cThis murder should be a test case for the Balochistan government, as it is gender terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defence Minister Khawaja Asif shared the video in a post<\/a> on X, with a message for the people of Balochistan. Referring to the growing militancy in the province, he said: \u201cThose who have taken up arms against the state \u2014 start by raising your voice against the unjust system that surrounds you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He continued that the ones responsible for this \u201coppression are your own brothers, not the travellers and labourers from other provinces\u201d, pointing out the recent bus attack in Balochistan\u2019s Kalat district, which left three people dead and other similar incidents in the recent past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman also condemned<\/a> the murder in a post on X, labelling it an \u201cunforgivable crime\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCrushing the right to marry is a violation of fundamental human rights. Killing in the name of tribal decisions is a despicable act. The cycle of brutality in the name of honour must be stopped,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy mercilessly killing the married couple, not only have law and justice been insulted, but the authority of the provincial government has also been challenged,\u201d Rehman added. \u201cThe chapter of oppression and barbarism under the guise of jirgas must be closed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The senator emphasised that the perpetrators must be brought to justice and that legislation to end \u201coutdated customs\u201d was indispensable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch decried the shooting as an \u2018honour\u2019 killing, appealing to Baloch elders to \u201crespect women\u2019s decisions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a woman, this chilling incident is deeply painful and heart-wrenching for me,\u201d she wrote on X. \u201cKilling any woman in the name of honour is not only a heinous crime but also the worst humiliation of humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI appeal to Baloch and Pashtun tribal elders, influential sections of society, and intellectuals to respect women\u2019s decisions. Today\u2019s woman is the same woman who is educated, aware, and fully capable of making decisions about her future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She demanded that the killing be investigated transparently and comprehensively so that the suspects would be brought to justice and \u201cno one dares to repeat such a barbaric act in the future\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n