A couple was shot dead in Balochistan’s Mastung district on Tuesday in yet another alleged ‘honour’ killing, police confirmed. The victims, who had been married for seven years, were reportedly lured by the woman’s brothers and gunned down at Noshki Cross while traveling with their children.
According to Wali Khan Station House Officer (SHO) Pir Muhammad Alizai, the couple had traveled from Panjgur to Lakpass upon an invitation from the woman’s family. The assailants, arriving on two motorcycles around 7am, opened fire with a pistol and fled the scene. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway.
An FIR dated July 29, seen by Dawn.com, stated that the couple was accompanied by their two children and the husband’s brother. They had stayed at a nearby hotel overnight before being attacked. The case, registered at the Wali Khan Levies police station, names five individuals under PPC Sections 34, 302, and charges related to assault on a woman. The motive cited was enmity due to a love marriage.
This incident follows a string of similar killings across Pakistan. Just last week, a man and woman were murdered in Quetta’s Degari area on the orders of a tribal jirga, leading to the arrest of at least 14 suspects. Days later, another man in Quetta killed his daughter and nephew in the name of ‘honour’.
In Rawalpindi, a court recently remanded three suspects over the suffocation death of a newlywed woman after a jirga reportedly sanctioned the act. The case was filed by the victim’s husband under Section 496A of the PPC.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, ‘honour’ killings remained a persistent issue in 2024, with 346 reported victims across the country by November, most notably in Sindh and Punjab. The killings continue to be driven by entrenched social norms linking family dignity to female behaviour and marital choices.
