July 22, 2025
ISLAMABAD – A harrowing video of a young couple being executed in broad daylight has reignited outrage over ‘honour’ killings in Pakistan. The footage, reportedly from the Dagari area of Balochistan, shows a group of men leading a couple into a barren patch of desert before shooting them, allegedly for marrying for love.
The victims have been identified as Ehsan Samalani and Bano Satakzai, who had married without the approval of their families. According to reports, they were invited to a village under the pretext of a meal, only to be taken to an abandoned location where they were informed of tribal elders’ deciding a death sentence for them.
For many social media users, the most gut-wrenching part were Bano’s last words. Speaking in Brahvi, she told her killers: “You are allowed to shoot me, but nothing more than that.” She requested to walk seven steps before being executed. Her brother allegedly pulled the trigger.
Their bodies have yet to be recovered.
A ‘national emergency’
Artists and public figures used their platforms to call out the horror and the state’s failures. Hadiqa Kiani, in a series of searing Instagram stories, wrote, “In the name of honour, women are being murdered brutally and mercilessly… This is not just a crime; it is a reflection of deep-rooted ignorance and the failure of our state institutions to protect their citizens equally.”
She continued, “Why is it that in tribal areas, where women are most vulnerable, there is no real protection from the law? We demand that the Supreme Court of Pakistan step up… This is not just a women’s issue; this is a national emergency.”
Actor Minal Khan added, “Absolutely heartbroken and enraged by the barbaric honour killing of a couple in Balochistan for choosing love. This medieval brutality has NO place in any society.”
Singer Annural Khalid wrote simply, “A new low for this country every single day.”
‘This isn’t honour — it’s murder’
Across social media, users expressed collective grief, rage, and fatigue. Some called out the cruelty disguised as ‘culture’.
Others criticised society’s hypocrisy and outdated notions of honour.
Many highlighted the state’s failure and demanded accountability.
One user took a sharp jab at the false morality at play.
After the video went viral, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti issued a statement on X. “A terrorism case has been registered on behalf of the state, and one suspected killer has been arrested; the law will take its course in this heinous matter!” he wrote.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed that neither of the affected families had filed a report, but the state had stepped in. He said one suspect had been detained and raids were underway to make more arrests.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Just last week, a woman in Jaffarabad was murdered by her uncle in the name of honour. Earlier this month, two men were shot dead in Karachi’s Manghopir, also in the name of “honour”. In January, a US-born girl was killed by her father in Quetta for having a TikTok account.
Pakistan’s track record of killings in the name of ‘honour’ — especially of women — remains appalling and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.