Police made several arrests after a couple was allegedly murdered in the middle of daylight, at the behest of a tribal elder, for having an “illicit” relationship in the latest “crime of honor” in the country.
The murders that occurred last month in the province of Baluchistan, in the southwest of the country, underline the shocking and persistent nature of such crimes in some parts of Central and South Asia, where family and community members believe they can restore “honor” through bloodshed.
At least 11 people have been detained since the incident video became viral on social networks, said Baluchistan chief minister, crops Bugti.
The graphic video of the murder shows about a dozen men surrounding several vehicles in a desert.
A woman, with her head wrapped in a shaw, can be seen walking slowly in front of one of the vehicles, while a man follows her, observed by the group.
“You can only shoot me, nothing more,” hears in Brahvi, a local tongue, before the man lifted a pistol and trigger at her at close range.
The woman stands after two shots, falling only after the third, as shown in the video. Then the video captures more shots.
Another video shows the bloody bodies of a man and a woman lying side by side.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the videos. Police told CNN that they believe the images actually show the murder being investigated.
The man and woman were killed for allegedly involved in a relationship considered “illicit” by a local tribal leader, according to a police report seen by CNN.
The leader will have issued a verdict to execute them, according to the police report.
Crimes of honor remain worryingly common in Pakistan, with hundreds of cases registered every year – although experts believe the actual number is much higher due to lack of information.
These murders are typically carried out by family members or village leaders who believe that a relative, often a woman, brought “shame” to the family, sometimes for so apparently innocuous reasons as marrying, asking for divorce, or challenging traditional gender roles.
The deeply rooted patriarchal norms that equate family honor to women’s behavior, cultural acceptance and weak application enforce the perpetrators to act with almost impunity.
In recent years, a series of great visibility crimes have made headlines in Pakistan, attracting national and international conviction and underlining the persistence of practice.
In 2016, the star of social networks Qandeel Baloch was murdered by his brother in a so -called “crime of honor.” Qandeel Baloch gained fame and notoriety in Pakistan, inherently conservative and patriarchal, for his bold, sassy and increasingly policy publications on social networks.
Its murder provoked a national protest and the so -called “crimes of honor” laws in the country. Crimes of honor are now punished with a life imprisonment, but the change in the legislation did not make the crimes disappear.
At least 335 women and 119 men were killed in the so -called “crimes of honor” last year, according to data from the Pakistan Human Rights Commission (CDHP).
Baluchistan chief minister Bugti considered the latest alleged “intolerable” murder and a “blatant violation of social values and human dignity”.
