Pak police arrest 11 suspects after 'honour killing' video goes viral

Karachi: Police in Pakistan have arrested at least 11 people after a video emerged on social media of a couple being shot dead in an apparent honour killing in Balochistan province.

The incident sparked outrage in the country soon after the video was released on social media, with civil society, religious scholars, and political leaders all calling for the arrest and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of the gruesome crime.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Monday confirmed that 11 people have been arrested. They are suspected of being behind the "honour killing" of the couple.

Shahid Rind, a government spokesperson, said, ”Investigations are ongoing to confirm identities of all involved, when the incident took place and who released the video." The video showed a group of heavily armed men shooting and killing the couple, who were not identified.

The men in the video were heard speaking the Brahui language, spoken in many parts of Balochistan.

Honour killings continue to plague many parts of Pakistan, with many such incidents reported every year.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a report that in 2024, there were at least 405 victims of recorded honour killing cases in the country.

Earlier this year, a man who recently moved his family back to Pakistan from the US confessed to killing his teenage daughter because he disapproved of her making TikTok videos.

In another incident, a father shot dead his 20-year-old daughter and her boyfriend in Malir district of Sindh province after they eloped to get married.