QUETTA:
Authorities swung into action on Sunday, arresting a prime suspect and launching raids to apprehend others involved in the brutal killing of a couple over so-called ‘honour’ in Quetta’s Dagari area. The gruesome incident, which reportedly took place around Eidul Azha, came to light after a disturbing video surfaced online, sparking widespread outrage.
The footage shows a group of men killing a young woman and a man, allegedly for marrying against their families’ wishes. Officials confirmed that after the clip went viral, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ordered the registration of a terrorism case, prompting the Levies Force and Counter-Terrorism Department to detain one of the main suspects.
“The FIR has been registered under anti-terrorism laws on behalf of the provincial government, as neither the victims’ families nor locals filed any complaint,” officials said, adding that efforts were underway to track down and arrest the remaining perpetrators.
According to local sources, the slain couple – identified as Ehsan Samalani and Bano Satakzai – had married without familial approval. Elders of the community allegedly issued a death sentence against them. The video shows the woman, speaking in Brahvi, telling her killers, “You are allowed to shoot me, but nothing more than that,” before requesting to walk seven steps prior to being shot. She was then shot three times, reportedly by her brother, after which her husband was also killed.
Tragically, the couple’s bodies have yet to be recovered, complicating the investigation further. Authorities believe the video was filmed shortly before Eidul Azha, and raids are being carried out to arrest the remaining suspects, whose identities have been established but not yet publicly disclosed.
“The state will not remain a silent spectator to such barbarism,” CM Bugti stated on X (formerly Twitter), vowing that justice would be served without delay.
At a press conference at Karachi Press Club, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed that those seen in the viral video had been identified using facial recognition technology and Nadra’s database. “One suspect is in custody, and we are closing in on the rest,” he said, adding that the state itself had become the complainant to ensure accountability and prevent external pressures from influencing the case.
The cold-blooded murders were condemned widely. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed profound grief and anger, calling the killers “beasts who deserve no mercy.”
Aladdin Khilji, provincial director of Aurat Foundation and chairman of the Balochistan EVAWG Alliance, also condemned the murders, calling the video a devastating reminder of the continued prevalence of honour killings in the province. “From 2019 to 2024, 212 people have been murdered in the name of honour in Balochistan alone,” he said.
