QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Wednesday extended the physical remand of tribal leader Sardar Sherbaz for 10 more days. He is accused as the prime suspect of the honour killing of a couple ahead of Eid ul Adha in Quetta.
Police said Bano Bibi and Ehsan Ullah were shot dead in Dagari, a village near Quetta, on the orders of a local jirga for the so-called honour.
The case drew national outrage after a video of the shooting went viral on social media last week.
Authorities produced Sherbaz in court after his two-day remand ended. Police requested more time to investigate. The court approved the request and handed him over to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW).
Post-mortem reports revealed that the woman was shot seven times and the man nine times. Doctors conducted the autopsies at the Dagari coal mine graveyard.
Police registered a case on behalf of the state at Hanna-Urak Police Station. The FIR includes Sections 302 (murder), 149, 148, 147 of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed the arrest of 11 suspects. He said more raids were underway. Bugti vowed no one would be spared.
He clarified the victims were not married to each other. Both had five to six children. “The state stands with the victims,” he said, promising strict legal action. He added that police acted before the video surfaced online. The DSP in charge had already been suspended.
A day earlier, the Balochistan Assembly passed a unanimous resolution condemning the killings. Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola presented it on behalf of the Women Parliamentary Caucus. Members included Raheela Durrani, Dr. Rubaba Buledi, Shahnaz Umrani, Shahida Rauf, Farah Azeem Shah, Salma Bibi, Umm-e-Kulsoom, and Safia Bibi.
The resolution called the killings a horrifying misuse of honour. It stated that such acts target innocent people, especially women. It denounced the killings as shameful and a threat to peace and society.
Lawmakers declared that honour killings have no place in Baloch culture, Pakistani traditions, or religion. They called them inhumane, illegal, and morally unacceptable.
