Latest news with #Balochistan
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan army says 8 India-linked militants killed in two-day sweep in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed eight militants in operations conducted over two days in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday, describing the insurgents as Indian proxies. The fighting took place in Kalat district during an intelligence-based operation targeting suspected 'Fitna al Hindustan,' a term the Pakistani military uses for militants it says are backed by neighbor and archrival India. Pakistan's restive Balochistan province has long been the site of separatist and insurgent violence, and Islamabad has frequently alleged Indian involvement in destabilizing activities there, a charge New Delhi denies. 'Following the successful intelligence based operation conducted by the security forces in Kalat District of Balochistan on 19 July 2025, during which 4 x terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan were sent to hell; on 21 July 2025, a deliberate sanitization operation was conducted in the surrounding areas,' the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said in a statement. 'During the conduct of the operation, four more terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan were hunted down and successfully neutralized.' The military said a hideout was also 'busted' and a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered. In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for the Kalat operation and reaffirmed his government's resolve to eliminate terrorism. 'The terrorists who seek to harm the lives and property of innocent citizens will have their nefarious ambitions buried,' Sharif said in a statement issued by his office. 'We will uproot Fitna al Hindustan, the enemy of Pakistan's sovereignty.' The operation follows a series of recent accusations and military tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, including most recently when they engaged in a four-day long air war in May. India and Pakistan have in the past fought multiple wars over the disputed Kashmir region and regularly trade blame over cross-border militancy.
Sky News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Police arrest 14 over viral 'honour killing' video in Pakistan
Police in Pakistan have arrested 14 people after a video went viral showing the so-called honour killing of a couple accused of having an affair. More than a dozen men can be seen surrounding several vehicles in a desert in Balochistan in the footage. A woman, her head wrapped in a shawl, can be seen slowly walking in front of one of the vehicles as a man follows her, watched by the group. According to local news outlets, she can be heard saying: "You are only allowed to fire at me. Nothing more than that". A man raises a gun and shoots her three times at close range. She collapses after the third shot, the video shows. More gunshots follow. The footage then shows a bloodied man lying on the ground close to the woman's body. Men are then shown shooting at both of the bodies. The timing and location of the incident have not yet been reported, while the identities of the murdered man and woman have not been confirmed. Sky News has not been able to verify where the video was taken. The video sparked outrage and demands for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The man and woman had been accused of having an affair out of wedlock, provincial chief minister Sarfraz Bugti told a news conference Authorities had initially said they were killed for marrying against the wishes of their families. "No one has a right, no matter what, to kill someone in such a painful and disgusting way, and then video shoot it," Mr Bugti said. "It is a crime. It is a murder."
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
Pakistan police say tribal chief among 14 arrested over 'honour killing'
QUETTA, Pakistan, July 21 (Reuters) - Police in southwestern Pakistan have arrested 14 suspects over the so-called honour killing of a couple accused of having an affair, including a local tribal chief who ordered their deaths, officials said on Monday. The killings in Pakistan's Balochistan province last month came to attention after a video showing the couple being shot went viral on social media. The man who shot and killed the woman was her brother, acting on behalf of her family and tribe, provincial police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters in an update on the case. The chief of the tribe, Sher Baz Satakzai, had ordered the killing, he said. The tribal chief was among those detained, provincial chief minister Sarfraz Bugti told a news conference in Quetta, the provincial capital. "We will make sure that they all will be prosecuted," he said. It was unclear if the brother was among those detained. The man and woman, accused of having an affair out of wedlock, both had several children from separate marriages, Bugti said. Authorities had initially said the couple were killed for marrying against the wishes of their families. "No one has a right, no matter what, to kill someone in such a painful and disgusting way, and then video shoot it," said Bugti. "It is a crime. It is a murder." The video that was circulating widely on social media on Sunday shows a man shooting the woman in the back at close range, and later a bloodied man lying close to the woman's body. Men are then shown shooting at both the bodies. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. A local court on Monday ordered police to exhume the bodies for an autopsy. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that in 2024, there were at least 405 "honour killings", criticising the authorities for failing to stamp out these crimes. Most victims are women, and the killings are usually carried out by relatives professing to defend their family's reputation, human rights groups say.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan police say woman shot seven, man nine times in ‘honor killing' incident
QUETTA: The woman victim of the Balochistan 'honor killing' incident was shot seven times while the male victim received nine bullet injuries, Pakistan police confirmed after conducting a post-mortem examination of the slain individuals this week. The killings in the southwestern Balochistan province, which took place in June, made headlines and triggered outrage in Pakistan after a video showing the couple being shot went viral online last week. The woman, identified by police as Bano Bibi Satakzai and the man, Ehsan Ullah Sumalani, were both shot dead in the Dagari area located on the outskirts of Quetta. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters on Monday that 12 suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence, including a tribal leader, who allegedly ordered the couple to be shot. Bugti hinted during the press conference, avoiding to share details, that both victims were allegedly having an extramarital affair. Dr. Ayesha Faiz, a Balochistan Police surgeon, told Arab News that Satakzai and Sumalani were killed on June 4 and buried in different graveyards in Dagari. 'After the postmortem, it was found that Bano Bibi had received seven bullet injuries on her head, abdomen and chest, and Ehsan Ullah received nine bullets on his chest and abdomen,' Faiz said. Syed Saboor Agha, head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW) leading the probe, said police have taken nine other people into custody on suspicion of hiding the crime from authorities. He confirmed the victims were involved in an extramarital affair. 'The prime accused in this case is Jalal, (brother) of murdered Bano Bibi who is still undercover and raids are being conducted to arrest him,' Agha said. 'Because his arrest will likely uncover further details as he was the woman's brother, who along with his maternal uncle, opened fire at them.' So-called honor killings are common in Pakistan, where family members and relatives sometimes kill women and men who don't follow local traditions and culture or decide to marry of their own choice. Yasmeen Mughal, the provincial coordinator for the Aurat Foundation, a non-profit that monitors violence against women and cases of honor killings in Pakistan, said 212 people have been killed in so-called honor cases in Balochistan in the last five years. Of these, she said 33 women were killed last year. Raza Rumi, a Pakistani policy analyst, journalist and author who is currently a lecturer at The City University of New York, said tribal councils or jirgas have no legal or moral authority to decide matters involving human life. 'Honor killings are criminal acts, not cultural practices,' Rumi said. 'Allowing jirgas to decide such cases legitimizes violence and undermines the constitution and rule of law.' Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident on Monday, tasking Bugti to hold an investigation and punish those behind the killings. 'No one is above the law and no one can be allowed to take the law into their own hands,' Sharif said. 'All legal steps should be taken to bring the suspects to justice.'
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Pakistan arrests 13 suspects as ‘honour killing' video goes viral
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani authorities have arrested at least 13 individuals, including a tribal leader, in connection with the killing of a couple in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The arrests followed nationwide outrage over a video depicting the murders went viral on social media, with many calling it yet another case of 'honour killing' – a phenomenon reported from across South Asia. The first information report (FIR) filed by the police on Monday identifies the couple as Bano Bibi and her husband Ehsan Ullah, and says they were likely killed in May near Balochistan's capital Quetta. Honour killings, mainly reported from Pakistan and India, often arise from perceived family, tribal or caste dishonour, especially in love marriages, in which the two partners marry without the consent of their families or tribe, or elope. Many such killings go unreported. Balochistan police official Syed Suboor Agha told Al Jazeera they are investigating the matter and are likely to make more arrests, including Bano's brother, who is suspected of the murders and 'is still at large'. The viral videos of the killings show a group of armed men gathered around vehicles in a deserted area. Bano is ordered by the crowd to stand away from the vehicles as the couple is pumped with bullets, even on their motionless bodies lying bleeding on the sand. The FIR names eight suspects while also listing 15 other unidentified suspects involved in the incident. According to the FIR, the couple was allegedly brought before local tribal leader Sardar Sherbaz Khan, who declared them guilty of engaging in an 'immoral relationship' and ordered that they be killed. 'Tyranny of medieval practices' Pakistan has a dismal record on 'honour killings' and other forms of violence against women. According to Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), an Islamabad-based independent organisation, more than 32,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported nationwide in 2024, including 547 instances of 'honour killings' – 32 of them in Balochistan and only one resulting in conviction. Harris Khalique, general secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the country's leading rights watchdog, said the killings in the name of honour confirm the 'tyranny of medieval practices' still entrenched in many parts of Pakistan. 'The state, instead of establishing the rule of law and ensure the right to life of its citizens, has protected the tribal chiefs and feudal lords who guard such practices to perpetuate their power over local people and resources,' Khalique told Al Jazeera. Mineral-rich Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populous province, has also witnessed decades of conflict between the government and ethnic Baloch separatists, who demand secession from the country. Rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch, also a member of a Baloch women's rights group, said killing of women has become 'a matter of routine' in the province. 'In Balochistan, women are murdered for love, disappeared for protest, and buried under layers of tribal authority and state-backed silence. These are not isolated tragedies. They are the cost of a system designed to keep Balochistan obedient, and its women expendable,' she told Al Jazeera. Baloch said the government would not have acted on the murders had the video not gone viral. '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,' she said. 'The state's refusal to democratise Balochistan isn't accidental. It is policy. By outsourcing governance to feudal strongmen, the state keeps the region controlled, its women disposable, and its dissent criminal.'
