At least 11 people have been arrested in Pakistan after a video surfaced online showing a young couple being shot dead for marrying without their families’ approval, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The footage, which went viral over the weekend, reportedly shows the couple being executed in broad daylight as bystanders look on.
Brutal Killing Caught on Camera
The incident took place in the Deghari district of Balochistan, with the police identifying the victims as Bano Bibi and Ahsan Ullah, the report said. Confirming the authenticity of the video, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said a provincial investigation had been launched into the incident after no family members came forward to report the killings, as reported by The Associated Press.
In the video that had been doing rounds since, several men can be seen arriving in pickup trucks in a mountainous area. Bano Bibi, the report suggests, can be heard saying in the local language, “Come, walk seven steps with me, and then you can only shoot me”, although what Bibi meant by it remains unclear. Moments later, a man appears to shoot her three times. Her husband is then shot at by the same attacker and an accomplice. The video ends with both lying motionless on the ground.
A Tragic and Familiar Pattern
A tribal elder, Sardar Satakzai, ordered the killings after the bride’s brother objected to the marriage, the news agency quoted Police chief Naveed Akhtar as saying.
According to the report, both the brother and Satakzai were among those arrested. However, authorities are still searching for nine additional suspects. The video, according to Akhtar, was filmed and posted by an unidentified person.
Police surgeon Ayesha Faiz told the publication that an autopsy showed Bibi was shot seven times, while results for Ahsan Ullah are pending.
Calls for Justice and Change
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for justice. “The bravery shown by the slain woman is both humbling and remarkable, as she neither begged for her life nor showed any weakness,” rights activist Farhatullah Babar told the AP.
This isn’t a secluded instance of Honour killing in Pakistan. Just this January, a man was arrested for allegedly murdering his 15-year-old daughter—born in the US for posting TikTok videos.
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