Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday acknowledged a distressing video circulating on social media, which appears to depict the brutal killing of a man and a woman.
According to a statement released by the provincial government, the chief minister has mandated an immediate investigation into the incident and instructed law enforcement agencies to swiftly apprehend all individuals involved.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, quoting the chief minister, condemned the act as “barbaric” and emphasized that it would not be tolerated under any circumstances. “No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands,” Rind added, reiterating the government’s commitment to upholding justice.
While numerous social media users have asserted that the killings were carried out in the name of honor, the authenticity of the video and the specific details of the incident have yet to be independently verified.
In Pakistan, so-called ‘honor’ killings continued to claim the lives of women throughout 2024.
According to the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) 2024 report, ‘Mapping Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Pakistan,’ the country reported 2,238 cases of domestic violence, 547 cases of honor killings, and 5,339 cases of rape. Disturbingly, conviction rates for each of these crimes remained below 2%.
From January to November, a total of 346 individuals became victims of ‘honor’ crimes across the nation. The preceding two years also consistently witnessed an increase in murders linked to the concept of ‘honor.’
In 2023, Pakistan recorded a total of 490 ‘honor’ killing incidents, while in 2022, as many as 590 people lost their lives to ‘honor’ killings.
