May 17, 2025
By Kaleem Ullah
LAHORE
On the morning of Friday, May 16, 30-year-old Hasna Bibi was killed in the name of honour by her husband and brother-in-law, along with a 17-year-old boy named Ghani. The incident occurred in the tribal district of Bajaur, in the village of Loye Kharki, located in Tehsil Warra Mamond.
According to local sources, Hasna Bibi was a mother of four and worked as a housewife. Ghani, an orphan, worked as a taxi driver. Both had previously been warned by locals about their alleged relationship but had allegedly ignored the warnings.
Regarding the case, Niaz Ali, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the concerned police station, told Voicepk, “The incident took place in a village located on the border with Afghanistan, approximately 15 kilometers from our police station. Upon receiving information, we rushed to the scene to arrest the accused, but by that time the perpetrators had fled. An FIR has been registered against Hasna Bibi’s husband, Aash Muhammad, and her brother-in-law, Aash Ali.”
He added, “Efforts are ongoing to arrest the accused, but their phones are switched off, which is why we have not been able to apprehend them yet.”
Incident
According to the FIR, Hasna Bibi was allegedly in an extramarital relationship with Ghani and was at his house at the time of the incident. When her husband and brother-in-law discovered this, they entered Ghani’s home and opened fire, killing both on the spot. Ghani’s grandmother was also injured in the firing and later succumbed to her injuries at the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar.
It is commonly observed in such cases in the tribal areas that victims are buried quietly without police involvement, as families often try to avoid legal complications. Due to the social stigma associated with honor-related crimes, families frequently forgo filing of police reports and may instead claim the deaths were due to suicide or accidental shooting.
The Public Relations Officer of Bajaur Police told Voicepk that over the past three years, 14 such cases have been recorded in the district—nine in 2023, four in 2024, and one so far in 2025. He noted that the actual number may be higher, as many cases go unreported.
In another incident in South Waziristan, local police received a tip that the former husband of a woman with five children had convened a jirga of local elders to plan her killing. He alleged that his ex-wife was involved in an affair with a boy from the Badar Valley, claiming he had already killed the boy in Karachi and now intended to kill his ex-wife as well.
In tribal customs surrounding honor-related crimes, if one person is killed, the other involved party is also expected to be killed. Failure to do so may lead to tribal feuds and long-standing enmities.
According to a message received by the police, the woman stated, “I am innocent. If they present any substantial evidence against me, I am ready to die and will accept the verdict of the jirga. But if they kill me without proof, I will be a martyr.”
Ashiq Hussain, the Deputy Superintend of the local police told Voicepk.net, “After receiving the tip, we went to Kekarai Sarai in Badar Valley. We met with the jirga elders, the woman’s family, and her ex-husband’s family. We took them into confidence and secured a written assurance that she would not be harmed.” The woman was then placed in the protective custody of the jirga rather than being handed over to her former husband.
Amina Durrani of the Women’s Commission told Voicepk.net, “After the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there is no justification for sacrificing women in the name of outdated customs like honor killings or swara. With the abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), the government must focus on strengthening police capacity in the newly merged districts.”
She emphasized that police should be trained to implement relevant laws, such as Section 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code along with Section 302, to make honor killings non-compoundable offenses. “Often, families forgive the accused due to social pressure or financial settlements.
These sections ensure that offenders cannot evade punishment,” she added.
Lamenting the continued role of jirgas in criminal matters, she said, “After the merger of ex-FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, jirgas should have no role in dealing with criminal cases. It violates basic human rights, Islamic laws, and the Constitution of Pakistan. Jirgas should be confined to civil disputes only.”
Condemned
HRCP strongly condemned the murder of three individuals in Bajaur district, including two women who were killed in a suspected honour-related attack. Such acts of violence are a gross violation of the right to life and reflect deeply entrenched patriarchal norms.
HRCP urged the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation, ensuring that the perpetrators are held accountable under the law and the incident treated as a non-compoundable offence. The state must become a party in all such cases.