Pregnant woman, husband killed in Mastung for love marriage

QUETTA: A pregnant woman and her husband were murdered in an alleged honour killing in Balochistan’s Mastung district on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the morning near Noshki Cross in the Lakpass area, adjacent to Quetta.

According to Levies officials, the victims — 27-year-old Muhammad Shoaib, a resident of Chatkan, Panjgur, and his wife Benazir, originally from Hazarganji, Quetta — had married seven years ago through a court marriage.

Officials confirmed to the media that Benazir was several months pregnant and had two children, aged six and three.

It was further revealed that the couple had recently reconciled with Benazir’s family.

On Monday, her brothers invited the couple to Quetta under the pretense of a family gathering. Shoaib, accompanied by his wife and brother, traveled from Panjgur to Quetta. As night fell, they stayed overnight at a hotel near Lakpass. On Tuesday morning, Benazir’s brothers contacted the couple to determine their location and allegedly ambushed them, fatally shooting both before fleeing the scene.

The Levies have registered a murder case against five of Benazir’s brothers and launched a manhunt. Authorities are treating the incident as an honour killing.

This double murder comes at a time when Balochistan is already grappling with another case of gender-based violence. Just last month, a man and woman were killed in a separate honour-related incident, which came to light after a video showing their execution in front of a crowd went viral on social media.