Latest news with #SarfarazBugti
News18
02-08-2025
- Politics
- News18
How Balochistan's Anti-Terror Law Legalises Pakistan's Brutal Repression
By introducing a blatantly exploitative and tyrannical legislation, Pakistan has further legalised the brutal repression in a region which it has illegally occupied since 1948 The illegal occupation of Balochistan by Pakistan represents a long-standing festering wound. The largest, resource-abundant, yet poorest province of the country, Balochistan has been reeling in the crossfire of a chronic armed insurgency and a disproportionate state response, in addition to systemic political and economic marginalisation. Even as Pakistan was recently engaged in military confrontations with India—the most severe since the Kargil conflict of 1999—the Baloch insurgents kept intensifying their operations. Now, in the name of more effective counter-terrorism, the puppet government in Balochistan has passed another legislation that threatens to worsen the situation by legitimising state excesses in the province. Amid vehement opposition by legal experts, human rights groups, and civil society, the Balochistan Assembly passed the Counter-terrorism (Balochistan Amendment) Act 2025 on June 4. The legislation, which makes new inclusions into the 1997 Anti-terrorism Act, authorises armed forces, civil armed forces, and intelligence agencies to preventively detain a person for up to three months without any charges or trial. Eliminating judicial oversight, joint investigation teams can now issue detention orders, seize property or other possessions, and conduct ideological or psychological profiling of the detainees, all on their own accord. The Act has been put in place for six years, after which it can be extended for a period of two years if the provincial government thus notifies. Even when the Act was a proposed bill in the provincial assembly, human rights groups, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), had staunchly opposed its passage over concerns that it would legalise state instrumentalisation of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention. After it was adopted, the HRCP condemned the 'sweeping powers of preventive detention" outlined by the Act, which undermine civilian law enforcement domain by involving military personnel in the oversight boards, and contravene the country's constitutional obligations under Article 10 (legal safeguards for those arrested or detained) as well as its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The BYC, too, released a strongly-worded statement, decrying the Act's 'grave violation of fundamental rights, including personal liberty, due process, and protection from arbitrary detention". Meanwhile, the Pakistan government is projecting the Act as a decisive framework against terrorist forces and something that will help end the issue of missing persons. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti described it as a milestone which, according to him, will counter the 'organised conspiracy" and 'false allegations against state institutions" regarding enforced disappearances. Bugti also claimed that the insurgency in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan is a 'foreign intelligence agency driven war" against Pakistan, a narrative that has been parroted for a long time by the Pakistani establishment. This absolute denial and deflection by the authorities point to their utter unwillingness to acknowledge, address, and resolve the plight of the Baloch people, further alienating them and fueling the militancy. The Baloch people are already subjected to an extremely stifled environment, wherein demands of accountability from the state are constantly misconstrued as separatism, justifying excessive crackdown and harassment. The BYC-led peaceful Baloch civil resistance movement, which has emerged as a resilient force in the past couple of years, has had to face constant vilification, disruptions, harassment, and violent crackdown by the state, with its leaders, including Mahrang Baloch, incarcerated. Rather than taking advantage of a peaceful civilian platform that works towards state accountability and political reconciliation within the federal framework, the heavy-handed response of the Pakistani state creates conditions where peaceful political activism loses relevance and the people, particularly the youth, increasingly view armed insurgency as the only alternative. Within the context of an ever-ascending insurgency, progressively alienated people, rising attacks on CPEC workers and projects as well as Punjabi migrants, the newly passed amendment act will certainly estrange the Baloch people further. The ensuing state excesses, which will now take on a robe of legal legitimacy, will exacerbate the security crisis in Balochistan. By introducing a blatantly exploitative and tyrannical legislation, Pakistan has further legalised the brutal repression in a region which it has illegally occupied since 1948. This is like planting an existential landmine and stepping on it while blaming others for the mess which is a sole creation of Pakistan. The writer is an author and a columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments First Published: News opinion Global Watch | How Balochistan's Anti-Terror Law Legalises Pakistan's Brutal Repression Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Business Recorder
22-07-2025
- Business Recorder
State will ensure justice: CM terms Degari killing case ‘test case'
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Monday clarified that there was no marital relationship between the man and woman who were brutally killed in an alleged honour killing in Sanjeedi Degari, a suburb of Quetta. Terming it a 'test case' for his administration, he vowed that all those responsible for the crime would be brought to justice. Speaking at an emergency press conference in Quetta, the chief minister said that 11 suspects had so far been arrested, and law enforcement agencies were conducting raids to apprehend more. 'Whoever is involved in this case will be arrested, produced before a court, and punished in accordance with the law,' he asserted. CM Bugti rejected the widespread impression on social media that the deceased were a recently married couple. 'There was no marital relationship between the two,' he said, adding that both the woman and the man were already parents—she had five children and the man had five or six. The clarification comes in the wake of a disturbing video that went viral last week, purportedly showing the execution of the couple in the name of honour. The incident, believed to have taken place days before Eid-ul-Azha, sparked national outrage and prompted the Balochistan High Court to take suo motu notice. The chief minister said the provincial administration had taken notice of the incident even before the video gained attention on social media. He reiterated his commitment to ensuring justice, stating that the state would not abandon the oppressed. 'This case involves victims, and the state is firmly standing with them,' he said. He also confirmed that the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) concerned had been suspended for negligence, and further disciplinary actions would be taken against those who failed in their duties. Calling the Degari killings a 'test case,' Bugti stressed that no individual or group could be allowed to operate above the law. He said the incident had raised questions about the misuse of Jirga systems and tribal authority in criminal matters. 'No attempt is being made to disarm tribal society, but no society can condone such killings,' he said. 'The factors behind this crime must be uncovered. Jirgas that promote such actions are being actively stopped by the state. The government will be run under the Constitution.' In response to questions about the broader law and order situation in the province, the chief minister said that security forces had killed 10 militants in an operation conducted the previous day. 'These terrorists seek soft targets and attempt to flee after carrying out attacks. But our forces are effectively countering them,' he said. Bugti criticised elements that he claimed were exaggerating the security threat in Balochistan, stating that the situation was gradually improving. 'The people should not be afraid. We are defeating terrorism and will restore peace across the province.'
Arab News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan PM condemns Balochistan ‘honor killing,' calls for bringing perpetrators to justice
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday condemned 'honor killing' of a young couple in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province and called for bringing the perpetrators of justice, following public outrage over a video clip of the incident that has gone viral online since last week. In a video circulating on social media, more than a dozen men are seen gathered in a remote, mountainous desert area, with SUVs and pickup trucks parked nearby. A woman is ordered to stand facing away from the group before a man pulls out a gun and shoots her in the back. He then turns the weapon on a man and shoots him dead as well. Several news outlets reported that the man and woman had just gotten married and were shot dead for marrying by choice upon the orders of a traditional tribal council formed to settle disputes. However, speaking to reporters at a news conference, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said the victims were not husband and wife. On Monday, PM Sharif spoke with CM Bugti over the phone and instructed him to hold investigation into the incident and punish those behind the killing in accordance with law, according to the prime minister's office. '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. 'I immediately took notice of this incident and ordered IG [inspector-general] of police to arrest the suspects within 24 hours,' Bugti said. 'Initially, one and then 11 more were arrested in this case. Raids are being conducted to apprehend others involved.' Bugti earlier announced the arrest of 12 suspects in the case, saying a tribal leader was also among the arrestees. He, however, said relatives of neither of the victims had filed a complaint. 'Not a single person is ready to come forward as a victim in this case or file an FIR [first information report],' he said. On Sunday, Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind said the incident captured in the viral video had taken place in Balochistan a few weeks ago. 'This area [where the incident took place] has been identified,' Rind said. 'Both families did not report the incident. We will have a case registered with the state as complainant.' 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. On Sunday, the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), a group of clerics and religious scholars, called the couple's killing 'un-Islamic, anti-Sharia and terrorism,' urging the registration of terrorism cases against the ones involved in such incidents.
Mint
21-07-2025
- Mint
Pakistan honour killing: Newlywed couple shot dead in Balochistan; 11 held after video of woman's ‘execution' goes viral
Pakistan police have arrested 11 people after a video of a couple being shot dead by a group of men in Balochistan went viral on social media. The video shows men leading the couple out of vehicles and into a desert before gunning them down with pistols and shooting their bodies. According to a PTI report, political figures and activities have called the newlywed couple's murder as 'honour killing', with the incident sparking outrage in the country. 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, the report added. The graphic video shows about a dozen men surrounding several vehicles in a desert. A woman, with her head wrapped in a shawl, can be seen walking in front of the vehicles as a man follows her, watched by the group. 'You are only allowed to fire at me, nothing else,' she can be heard saying in Brahvi, a local language, before the man raises a pistol and shoots her at close range, a CNN report said. The woman remains standing, before finally collapsing after the third shot is fired. More gunshots can be heard in the video after the woman collapses. Another video shows the bloodied bodies of a man and woman lying side by side, the report added. A first information report (FIR) was registered by the Station House Officer Naveed Akhtar at Quetta's Hanna-Urak police station, the Dawn newspaper reported. Akhtar said he lodged the complaint after receiving the video clip that had gone viral on social media. He also said that upon investigation, his team discovered that the incident occurred three days before Eid-ul Azha. 'The victims seen in the viral video have been identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah,' the FIR said, naming eight suspects who allegedly shot the couple dead. The FIR also mentioned 15 other unknown suspects involved in the incident. 'Owing to the nature of the murder, the case has now been transferred to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing for further investigation," the newspaper quoted Akhtar as saying. Prior to being killed, the victims were allegedly taken to a tribal leader, who declared them guilty of being involved in an 'immoral relationship' and ordered their execution, following which they were taken to the desert and shot dead, the FIR said. 'The murder was filmed and uploaded to social media to spread fear and panic among the public,' it added. The men in the video were heard speaking the Brahui language, spoken in many parts of Balochistan. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called the suspects 'beasts', saying that they deserved no concessions. Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch decried the shooting as an 'honour' killing, appealing to Baloch elders to 'respect women's decisions'. 'As a woman, this chilling incident is deeply painful and heart-wrenching for me,' she wrote on X. 'Killing any woman in the name of honour is not only a heinous crime but also the worst humiliation of humanity.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan: Viral video shows 'honour killing' in Balochistan desert; 11 held
A shocking video has gone viral on social media showing a couple being murdered in broad daylight in Balochistan, allegedly over an "illicit" relationship. The footage shows a group of men taking the couple out from vehicles into a desert area, where they are gunned down at close range. In the video, the woman, her head covered with a shawl, can be seen walking ahead of a man while a crowd looks on. Speaking in Brahvi, a local language, she says, "You are only allowed to fire at me, nothing else," before she is shot multiple times. She collapses after the third shot, with several more gunshots heard afterward. The incident, believed to have taken place three days before Eid-ul-Azha, has drawn widespread outrage across Pakistan. Civil society groups, religious leaders, and political figures have condemned the killings, demanding swift justice. Balochistan chief minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed on Monday that 11 people have been arrested in connection with the crime. An FIR was registered by Station House Officer Naveed Akhtar at Quetta's Hanna-Urak police station after the video surfaced online. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the act, calling the accused 'beasts' who deserve no leniency.
