Quetta:
At least 14 suspects have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the brutal public killing of a man and a woman in Balochistan, the authorities said on Monday, a day after a video of the execution became viral on social media.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed the arrests of 11 people in a statement and later told a press conference that everyone involved would be brought to court. He assured that action would be taken in accordance with the law.
The news of the arrests came when the Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech took the Suo Motu message about the killings and called the extra chief secretary (home) and the inspector (IG) of police to appear in court and give a briefing on the case on Tuesday (today).
The case is investigated by the serious crime investigation wing (SCIW), according to police. With quoted local police officers, Reuters reported that the number of arrested people increased to 14.
Investigator Naveed Akhtar declared that he and his team reached Sanjidi, a locality in Dagari on the outskirts of Quetta, confirming that the double murder had taken place three days before Eidul Azha.
The victims identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah were the same people seen in the viral video. IG Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters that the man who shot and killed the woman was her brother who acted on behalf of her family and tribe.
According to FIR, eight suspects were directly named, while 15 others remain unidentified. Investigators visited the Degari area, collected crucial forensic evidence and registered statements from local residents and tribal elders.
A female police surgeon, part of the team, confirmed that the woman had maintained seven gunshot wounds. An accused, Sardar Sher Baz Satakzai – the head of the tribe who had ordered the killing – was produced in court. The court ordered the police to expel the bodies to an autopsy.
The victims after slaughter have now been published, confirming that both were shot up close in a brutal and calculated act of violence.
Pakistanis were shocked Sunday after a video appeared on social media showing the brutal murders performed in front of spectators. Recordings triggered national indignation and widespread calls for justice. Officials later said the video was recorded around Eidul Azha – which was celebrated in June.
The video shows people in a desert, and some pickup trucks and SUVs where they had apparently been driven there. The woman gets a copy of the Qur’an and she then tells a man, “Come go seven steps with me after you can shoot me.” The man then follows her in a few steps.
A local police officer told Reuters that the woman was not crying or sought grace. “You are only allowed to shoot me. Nothing more than that,” says the woman in the regional brahui language, translated into Reuters by the official. It wasn’t clear what she meant by “nothing more than that”.
The man who had followed her then directed a gun at her as she turned her back to the shooter. The woman, wrapped in a shawl, stood still when shots were fired. She remained standing after two shots, delivered from close range and fell to the ground after the third shot.
It is followed by a series of shoots. The footage then shows a bloody man lying on the ground close to the woman’s body. Then men appear to shoot on both bodies. According to the AFP report, the man first fired several shots at the woman and then shot at the man.
“We have arrested over a dozen men for their commitment to the incident,” a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. The official said they arrested included a cousin to the woman and the stuttering elders who led Jirga who ordered the killings.
Main Minister Bugti condemned the killings as completely inhumane. “A case has been registered against everyone involved … and they will be prosecuted,” he said. “Neither society allows this [killing] Neither did the government. The government will show no gentleness to the defendant. “
There were reports that the two were shot dead to marry on their own, which was rejected by their families. However, the minister said they were not married together, adding that both had children – a mother of five and the father of six – from their previous marriages.
“This incident has become viral on social media and the people will know the truth. There are reports circulating on social media that the deceased was a newlywed couple but [in fact] The two were not in a marital relationship, ”he said.
“The woman who was killed in the incident has five children and her husband’s name is Noor. The deceased man was already married and had six children,” said the minister, however, adding that both were brutally killed, which was unacceptable in any way.
The most worrying thing about this case, the minister of chief told the journalists, was that no one was ready to register a first information report (FIR) with the police. “The parents and children of the deceased were present, but no four has been registered so far,” he added.
In response to a question, Bugti said no one achieved this video from the outside, rather it was sent by the murderers himself. He said that in this era of social media, where news spread without research, such events must be examined before they form a meaning.
The Minister of the Ministry acknowledged that the tribe’s Jirga system was still prevailing. “There is no doubt that we are part of a society where the Jirga system is still in place. Somewhere we all come under the influence of this system,” he said, adding that the government would intervene against these Jirgas.
Meanwhile, a murder case was recorded in accordance with section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and relevant sections in the law of anti-terrorism (ATA). FIR stated that the victims were declared as the “Karo-Kari” expression used for ‘honor killing’ in a tribe Jirga led by the tribe’s oldest Sardar Sherbaz Khan Satakzai.
After the Jirga judgment, they were driven in vehicles to a remote area where they were shot to death. The complainant about the case said the cruel action was filmed and circulated online, causing fear and panic among the public, it added.
(With input from agencies)
