Initial findings suggest the victims were killed on suspicion of an alleged illicit relationship, police say
2 suspects arrested for allegedly killing two women, man for ‘honour’ in KP’s Charsadda
Two suspects were arrested for allegedly killing two women and a man in a suspected honor killing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district after they were accused of having an illicit relationship, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place in the Matta Mughal Khel area on Wednesday where, according to the police, members of the victims’ family opened fire on the three, killing them on the spot.
Police rushed to the scene after the incident, while the suspected attackers initially managed to escape. The bodies were taken into custody and taken to Shabqadar Hospital for autopsy.
Read: Teenage girl allegedly killed for ‘honour’ by uncle, cousin in KP’s Lower Dir
Police spokesman Safiullah Khan said the victims were killed on suspicion of an alleged illicit relationship. He said an investigation had been launched and raids were carried out at various locations to arrest the suspects.
Charsadda District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Khan said initial findings indicated that the three killings appeared to have been carried out in the name of “honour”. He confirmed the arrest of two named suspects.
The DPO added that further investigation was underway and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 311 (of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The incident came on the same day police confirmed the killing of a 19-year-old woman who was allegedly shot dead by her uncle and cousin in Lower Dir district after she was seen talking to a neighbor outside her home.
The woman was killed on June 26 in the mountainous village of Kharkai, within the jurisdiction of Khar police station. Police said she was shot with a Kalashnikov, and investigators recovered spent bullet casings from the scene.
Honor killings remain a serious and persistent human rights problem in Pakistan despite legal reforms and growing public awareness.
Also read: 405 honor killings recorded across Pakistan in 2024: HRCP
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that at least 405 so-called honor killings were recorded in Pakistan in 2024. In its 2025 annual report, the commission said the number had risen to 470. Most victims were women, often killed by relatives who claimed to be defending family honor.
The killings have been reported not only in Lower Dir but also in several other districts of the province including Peshawar, Upper Dir, Swat and Charsadda.
According to KP Police data obtained by Express Pakinomist160 honor killings were reported across the province in 2025, compared to 159 cases in 2024. About 70 percent of the victims in the 2024 cases were women.
The data showed that 374 people were nominated in honor killing cases last year, of whom 258 were arrested. However, the police said that apart from a few cases, many suspects were later released after a settlement was reached between the parties.
