At least 11 people have been taken into custody after a disturbing video surfaced online showing a man and a woman being killed in an alleged honour killing in Balochistan.
The couple, whose names were not shared, had reportedly married against their families’ will and were shot on the orders of a local jirga last month.
The video shows the woman, holding a copy of the Holy Quran, telling the man: “Come walk seven steps with me, after that you can shoot me.”
She then turns her back and is shot multiple times while standing still. A man’s body is later seen near hers, and both are fired upon again.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed the arrests and said a case has been registered. He vowed all those involved would be prosecuted. The footage, believed to be filmed in a desert area, also shows vehicles in the background.
آپ ڈیٹ: اب تک 11 ملزمان گرفتار کئے جا چکے ہیں، آپریشن جاری ہے۔ تمام ملوث افراد کو کیفرِکردار تک پہنچایا جائے گا۔ ریاست مظلوم کے ساتھ کھڑی ہے! https://t.co/UoU2SDanWY
— Sarfraz Bugti (@PakSarfrazbugti) July 20, 2025
Police said the woman did not plead for mercy and remained calm, saying in Brahavi: “You are allowed only to shoot me. Nothing more than that.” The deeper meaning behind her words remains unclear.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan highlighted that at least 405 honour killings have occurred in 2024, mostly targeting women.
Rights groups continue to criticize the government for not doing enough to stop such violence, often carried out by relatives claiming to protect family honour.
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called the suspects “beasts” and urged the Balochistan government to treat the case as a test of its commitment to justice, calling the act “gender terrorism.”
جن لوگوں نے ریاست کیخلاف بندوق ا ٹھائ ھوئی ھے۔ وہ پہلے اس نظام کے خلاف آواز اٹھائیں جو آپکے آس پاس رائج ھے۔ سارا پاکستان آپکے ساتھ کھڑا ھو گا۔اس ظلم کے نظام کے ذمہ دار آپکے بھائ بند ھیں ۔ دوسرے صوبوں سے آۓ مسافر اور روزی روٹی کمانے والے مزدور نہیں ھیں جن نہتوں کو آپ گولیاں مارتے… pic.twitter.com/C8h1Skov8V
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) July 20, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif called on the people of Balochistan to speak out against injustice from within, instead of turning to violence against outsiders.
Senator Sherry Rehman also denounced the killing as an “unforgivable crime,” stressing that such acts violate basic human rights and must not be tolerated.
She added that these killings not only challenge justice but also undermine the authority of the government, and called for an end to brutal practices under tribal customs.