An honour killing in Pakistan has provoked widespread outrage after a video of the murders went viral, showing a couple accused of adultery being executed in the country’s Balochistan province.
The footage, which has spread rapidly on social media, shows Bano Bibi being handed a copy of the Qur’an by her brother, Jalal Satakzai, before saying: “Walk seven steps with me, then you can shoot me.” She takes a few paces, turns her back, and is shot three times. Seconds later, Satakzai also shoots Ehsan Ullah Samalani, the man with whom she was accused of having a relationship.
The murders, reportedly ordered by a jirga- a tribal council operating outside the state legal system- have drawn condemnation from politicians, clerics, and human rights groups. Pakistani authorities have arrested 16 people in connection with the case, including a tribal chief and the victim’s mother, Gul Jan Bibi.
Speaking to local media, Gul Jan Bibi defended the killings as following “the centuries-old traditions of the Baloch,” insisting they were not ordered by the tribal leader. She said her daughter, a mother of five, had left with Ehsan and returned after 25 days.
The brother who carried out the killings remains at large. Balochistan’s chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, has vowed to dismantle tribal courts acting outside the law, while police continue to investigate.
The video has fuelled calls for justice, with hashtags such as #JusticeForTheCouple and #HonourKilling trending in Pakistan. The country’s council of Islamic scholars declared the murders “anti-Islamic” and called for terrorism charges against those responsible.
Honour killings were outlawed in Pakistan in 2016 after the high-profile murder of social media influencer Qandeel Baloch, closing a legal loophole that allowed perpetrators to escape punishment if forgiven by the victim’s family. However, rights groups say enforcement remains weak, particularly in rural areas where tribal councils hold sway.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recorded at least 405 honour killings in 2024, the majority of victims being women killed by relatives in the name of family honour.
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