‘Honour killing’ incident in Balochistan: 11, including tribal chief, arrested: Bugti

QUETTA: The postmortem reports of the brutal killing of a man and a woman in Sanjidi-Digari in Quetta have confirmed that the man and woman were both shot multiple times on June 4, 2025.

According to Dr Ayesha Faiz, police surgeon at Sandeman Civil Hospital Quetta, the postmortem was conducted at the Digari coal mine graveyard. The woman sustained seven bullet wounds, while the man was hit by nine bullets. Both victims were killed on June 4, 2025, according to forensic findings. A police report seen by AFP identifies the woman as Bano Bibi and the man as Ehsan Ullah. The incident gained national attention after a video went viral on social media, showing a group of men forcing a couple out of a vehicle and leading them into a desert, where they were shot at close range.

The man who shot and killed the woman was her brother, acting on behalf of her family and tribe, Balochistan IGP Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters in an update on the case. The chief of the tribe, Sher Baz Satakzai, had ordered the killing, he said. Satakzai was presented before an anti-terrorism court in Quetta. Judge Muhammad Mubeen granted the Serious Crime Investigation Wing two-day physical remand of Satakzai who was arrested a day earlier. A case was also registered against suspects on the state’s complaint at Quetta’s Hanna-Urak Police Station. According to the FIR, the case was registered 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.

Addressing a press conference, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, clarified that the man and woman were not married to each other and each had five to six children. Authorities had initially said the couple were killed for marrying against the wishes of their families. “No one has a right, no matter what, to kill someone in such a painful and disgusting way, and then video shoot it,” said Bugti. “It is a crime. It is a murder.” Calling the murders an “act of inhumanity and the height of ignorance,” he emphasized that the state would ensure justice. He confirmed the arrest of 11 suspects, including a tribal leader, and announced the suspension of the Special Branch DSP for negligence. “The affected families initially refused to lodge an FIR, so the government filed the case itself,” Bugti said and warned that no leniency would be shown to the perpetrators, regardless of their social status.

In a related development, Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Rozi Khan Bareech tookn notice of the double murder in Quetta’s Digari area, summoning the province’s top security officials. According to a statement from the high court, the chief justice took notice, following the widespread media coverage and social media outrage over the brutal killing of a man and a woman in Sanjidi-Digari. The chief justice summoned the additional chief secretary, Home, and the inspector general of police, Balochistan, to appear before him today (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, the prime minister condemned the honour killing. The prime minister contacted Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on telephone and directed him for a probe into the incident, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. The prime minister directed that people involved in the incident should be given punishment according to law, as no one was above the law and could not be permitted to violate law of the land. He also directed for taking all legal measures to bring the accused to justice.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said that in 2024, there were at least 405 “honour killings”, criticising the authorities for failing to stamp out these crimes. Most victims were women, and the killings were usually carried out by relatives professing to defend their family’s reputation, the HRCP said.