ISLAMABAD: The chairperson of National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Khawar Mumtaz, has criticized the local cleric and people of the Loralai village for stoning a couple to death.

She in a statement on Wednesday said they (local cleric and people) have placed themselves above the law by becoming judge, jury and executioner.

In a letter to the chief minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, she praised the Balochistan government for taking swift action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

Khawar Mumtaz said the couple should have been presented in a court of law if they had committed an offence.

“I firmly believe that without implementation of laws across the length and breadth of the country, we cannot claim to be a civilised society,” she said in her letter.

The couple was stoned to death in a village in Loralai district on Sunday after a cleric issued a fatwa against them.

Khawar said the horrific development clearly reflects that such crimes against women have not been appropriately responded to and dealt with by the authorities concerned.

Ms Khawar has requested the Balochistan government to keep the NCSW informed about any development in the case and assured all kind of help support of the commission.