Islamabad [Pakistan], July 21: Pakistani authorities on Sunday arrested a suspect believed to have been involved in the gruesome killing of a couple, after a video of the incident sparked outrage on social media.
The suspected honour killing saw the couple gunned down for marrying by choice and was apparently filmed by the perpetrators. The incident took place in the south-western province of Balochistan, where tribal customs and traditions often prevail.
"A case has been registered and a suspect has been arrested under terrorism laws," Sarfraz Bugti, chief minister of Balochistan, said in a statement.
"Law will take its course in this heinous matter," he said.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also shared the video on his X account, urging people in the volatile province to raise their voices against the "unjust" and oppressive system that continues to prevail instead of raising arms against the state. "The tribes and individuals seen in the video have been identified and police have started a search operation to arrest them," Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the provincial government, said.
Around 1,000 women are killed in Pakistan by close relatives - fathers, brothers and sons - every year on the pretext of saving family honour, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
In most cases, the perpetrators escape punishment because of a controversial Islamic clause in Pakistani law that allows relatives of the victim to pardon the perpetrator.
Source: Qatar Tribune
