QUETTA/ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed that the suspects seen in a widely circulated murder video has been arrested on his directive, with 11 individuals taken into custody so far as part of an ongoing operation.
“The victims have been identified,” Bugti stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the incident occurred just days before Eid-ul-Adha. He added that a case has been registered under terrorism charges on behalf of the state, stressing that the full force of the law will be applied to ensure justice for the victims.
Although social media users have claimed the murders were committed in the name of ‘honour’, the authenticity of the video and full details of the crime remain unverified by independent sources.
In a late-night update, CM Bugti reiterated the government’s commitment, noting that the crackdown would continue until all perpetrators are held accountable. “The state stands with the oppressed,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind addressed the media at the Karachi Press Club, confirming that personnel from the provincial police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) were active in the area where the crime occurred. He noted that neither of the victims’ families reported the crime, prompting the state to take the lead as the complainant.
Rind said the victims’ bodies had yet to be recovered. He also revealed that authorities sent video data to the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) for identification and contacted the Excise Department to trace the motorcycle seen in the footage via its number plate.
He further mentioned that certain tribes and individuals had been traced in connection to the incident, but their identities were being withheld for strategic reasons.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the persistent issue of ‘honour’ killings in Pakistan. According to the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), the country recorded 547 such killings in 2024 alone. The same report noted 2,238 domestic violence cases and 5,339 rape cases during the year, with conviction rates below 2% across all categories.
From January to November 2024, at least 346 people were murdered in ‘honour’-related crimes. The trend reflects a continued rise in such killings in recent years, with 490 cases reported in 2023 and 590 in 2022.
