Honour killing in Pakistan: Woman shot dead in Balochistan for having 'illicit affair'

In a shocking and gruesome incident, a couple was killed in broad daylight in Balochistan province of Pakistan for having an 'illicit affair'. The honour killing was carried out at the order of a tribal elder in the mountainous region of the South Asian country. The police have arrested at least 11 people after a video purportedly showing the murder went viral. According to the US media outlet CNN, a woman wrapped in a shawl can be seen walking in front of a vehicle. She can be heard saying in the local language of Brahvi, "You are only allowed to fire at me, nothing else." A man raises his pistol and fires two rounds. She can be seen falling on the ground after the third round. 

Why honour killings?

The media outlet also reported that the punishment of honour killing was awarded to the man and woman because they were allegedly engaged in a relationship considered “illicit” by a local tribal leader. Generally, a family member or a village head or a tribal chieftain carries out this kind of honour killing because he thinks that the person concerned, generally, a woman, has brought 'shame' on the family or the village or the tribe. Honour killings are also carried out sometimes for marrying by choice, seeking a divorce, or defying traditional gender roles.

Qandeel Baloch killed in 2016

This is not the first case of its kind in Pakistan. Earlier in 2016, social media star Qandeel Baloch was killed by her brother after she gained both fame and notoriety for her bold, sassy and increasingly political social media posts. Such fame was not acceptable for a family living in inherently conservative and patriarchal Pakistan.  Confirming the incident, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Bugti called the most recent alleged murder 'intolerable' and a 'blatant violation of social values and human dignity'. 

(Qandeel Baloch was killed by her brother in 2016.)

Honour killings in Pakistan: 450 killed in one year 

According to data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), at least 335 women and 119 men were killed in so-called 'honor killings' in the country last year. However, Pakistan is not the only country where honour killings are carried out. According to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur, honor killings have been reported in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, and other Mediterranean and Persian Gulf countries. Such killings also take place in migrant communities in western countries such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom.   According to a report prepared by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, honour killings also take place in Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Sweden, Turkey, and Uganda.