Viral Video Spurs Arrests in Grisly ‘Honor Killing’ of Couple in Balochistan

Pakistani police have arrested 13 individuals, including a prominent tribal leader, following the brutal killing of a couple in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The murders, captured in a graphic video that circulated widely online, ignited nationwide outrage and renewed focus on so-called “honor killings” across South Asia.

The victims, identified in a police report as Bano Bibi and her husband, Ehsan Ullah, were allegedly executed in May near Quetta, the provincial capital, after being declared guilty of an “immoral relationship” by a tribal council. According to the first information report (FIR) filed Monday, the couple had eloped—a frequent trigger for such violence in the region.

Balochistan police official Syed Suboor Agha told Al Jazeera that authorities are pursuing further suspects, including Bano’s brother, who remains at large and is considered a prime suspect.

Footage shows armed men encircling the couple in a desolate area. As Bano is forced to stand aside, gunmen open fire on the pair, continuing to shoot even after they collapse to the ground.

The FIR lists eight named individuals and 15 others as unidentified suspects.

Toxic Traditions and a Culture of Impunity

The murders have been widely condemned as part of a broader pattern of gender-based violence. “This is the tyranny of medieval practices,” said Harris Khalique, general secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). “The state, instead of establishing the rule of law and ensuring the right to life, has protected tribal chiefs and feudal lords who maintain power through such brutal customs.”

Honor killings—typically linked to perceived violations of family, caste, or tribal codes—remain common in Pakistan and neighboring India, especially in cases involving love marriages without family consent. Many killings go unreported or unresolved.

An independent watchdog, the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), reports that Pakistan saw more than 32,000 cases of gender-based violence in 2024, including 547 honor killings. Only one case in Balochistan led to a conviction.

Despite increasing legal awareness and legislative reforms, many communities still operate under tribal codes that supersede state law in practice.

Balochistan: A Region Where Women Vanish Without Justice

Rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch, a member of a Baloch women’s advocacy group, said the region's women face systematic and layered oppression.

“In Balochistan, women are murdered for love, disappeared for protest, and buried under layers of tribal authority and state-backed silence,” she said. “These are not isolated tragedies. They are the cost of a system designed to keep Balochistan obedient and its women expendable.”

She added that without the viral footage, the state likely would not have responded. “Baloch women are trapped between two forms of violence: the brutality of tribal patriarchy and the cold repression of the state. One kills in silence; the other kills in the name of law.”

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet least populated province, remains volatile, marked by decades of unrest between the central government and ethnic Baloch separatists. Critics argue that the region’s governance model—outsourcing power to tribal strongmen—perpetuates a cycle of impunity, especially for crimes against women.