QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Monday granted bail to tribal elder Sardar Sherbaz Khan Satakzai, who was arrested in July this year after the murder of a man and woman in the name of ‘honour’ in the Degari mining area of Quetta district.

A single-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kasi, after hearing arguments from both sides, granted bail to Sardar Sherbaz Satakzai against surety bonds of Rs500,000. He was released following the court’s approval of the bail application.

Earlier, police had arrested Sardar Satakzai on the allegation that, as a tribal chief, he had endorsed through a jirga the killing of the woman and the man. Acting on the jirga’s order, the woman’s brother opened fire on his 40-year-old sister, Bano Bibi, in the presence of a large number of people from the area. At the same time, the man, Ehsanullah, was also killed at the same place.

The incident came to light after a video of the firing went viral on social media more than a month after the killings had taken place. Police launched an investigation and arrested several people, including Sardar Sherbaz Khan Satakzai.

So far, police have arrested 17 people in connection with the case, including Bano Bibi’s mother and another brother. The mother was later released on bail. However, the main accused, who shot and killed his own sister, has not yet been arrested.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2025