A couple was shot dead by the woman’s family over ‘honour’ in Balochistan’s Mastung district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident comes over a week after the killing of a man and a woman in the Degari area of Quetta on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha for so-called ‘honour’. The police had subsequently arrested at least 14 suspects for their involvement in the incident.

Wali Khan Station House Officer Pir Muhammad Alizai said in a statement today that the deceased couple got married seven years ago.

“The couple was travelling from Panjgur to Lakpass in a pickup upon the invitation of the woman’s brothers,” the police said. “The suspects told them to wait at the Noshki Cross, arrived on two motorcycles at about 7am on Tuesday, shot the couple dead with a pistol, and fled.”

“Action to arrest the suspects is underway,” SHO Alizai said.

According to a first information report (FIR) of the incident, dated July 29, seen by Dawn.com, the deceased were travelling with their two children and brother. They stayed at a hotel near Lakpas at night.

A case was registered by the deceased husband’s brother at the Wali Khan Levies police station under Sections 34 (common intention), 302 (murder) and (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Five people were nominated as suspects in the FIR.

“The reason for the murder is enmity and a love marriage,” it said.

Last week, a man allegedly shot dead his daughter and nephew in Quetta in the name of ‘honour’, just days after the Degari case, in which a couple was gunned down in broad daylight, drawing widespread condemnation, according to the police.

On July 26, a court in Rawalpindi remanded three suspects to police custody over an alleged murder and ‘honour’ killing case of a newlywed woman.

Police had initiated the investigation based on information that a woman had been murdered in the name of ‘honour’ in Pirwadhai, following a jirga in which members of both families participated.

As the woman’s family and in-laws became aware that the police were secretly investigating the incident, the deceased’s husband registered a case with the police under Section 496A. Police sources had said that the case was registered by the husband on the same day the woman was allegedly killed by suffocation with a pillow.

In Pakistan, ‘honour’ killings continued to claim the lives of women throughout 2024, perpetuated by deeply ingrained societal beliefs about family dignity and shame.

Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan shows that in 2024, ‘honour’ killings continued to be a serious issue across Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab. From January to November, a total of 346 people fell victim to ‘honour’ crimes in the country.