July 30, 2025
By Amir Bajoi
KHUZDAR
In an apparent case of honour based killing in the Mastung District of Balochistan, a couple was gunned down on July 29, after being lured by the woman’s family, on pretext of reconciliation. This marks the third such incident reported in the province in recent weeks, despite the nationwide uproar following the incident in Deghari.
The victims of the Mastung incident, identified as Muhammad Shoaib and his wife Benazir, who was pregnant at the time, were both shot dead near the old Customs’ office in the Lakpass area, early Tuesday morning. The couple had married through court procedure around seven years ago, however the women’s family had not given their consent.
According to the Mastung Levies’ Force, the slain couple had two children — aged six and two — who remained unharmed during the attack. Both Shoaib and Benazir were between 27 and 28 years old.
SHO Pir Jan Alizai of the Wali Khan Levies’ Police Station told Voicepk that Shoaib was originally from the Chatkan area of Panjgur, while Benazir hailed from Hazarganji in Quetta. The couple had eloped and married of their own choice and were currently residing at Shoaib’s family home in Panjgur.
Benazir’s family reportedly extended an invitation for reconciliation. Shoaib and Benazir travelled from Panjgur to Mastung in a private vehicle, accompanied by Shoaib’s brother, Sohail. Upon arrival, they waited along the national highway as instructed by Benazir’s brothers.
According to Shoaib’s father, Muhammad Anwar, the invitation came from Benazir’s stepbrother, Abdul Samad.
“My brother Sohail, who drives a goods vehicle, was taking my son and daughter-in-law to Mastung. Abdul Samad had previously visited our home in Panjgur and stayed with us for 10 to 15 days. This was the first time my son had visited her family since the reconciliation. Earlier, my daughter-in-law had visited her parents alone on two occasions,” Anwar told Voicepk.
He added that Abdul Samad met the couple at a roadside hotel and separated the children from their parents before instructing his armed accomplices to open fire. The attackers fled the scene on motorcycles.
Following the shooting, Mastung Levies personnel reached the scene and launched an investigation. Benazir’s family reportedly refused to claim her body. After medico-legal formalities, the bodies of both victims were handed over to Shoaib’s family in Panjgur.
An FIR was registered at the Levies Station on the complaint of Shoaib’s brother under Sections 302, 354, and 35 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Five of Benazir’s brothers — Abdul Samad, Abdul Fattah, Shah Wali, Hussain, and Sardar — have been named in the case.
Authorities confirmed that the slain couple had previously visited the woman’s family home twice before the fatal encounter.
Prior incidents
On July 23, a man shot and killed his daughter and nephew in the name of ‘honour’, in the Kechi Baig area of Quetta. The incident occurred at the victims’ maternal uncle’s house, within the jurisdiction of the Kechi Baig Police Station.
The above honour based killings came just days after the Degari case, in which a couple was gunned down in broad daylight, drawing widespread condemnation.
At least 14 individuals involved in another ‘honour’ based killing in Quetta’s Degari area, where a man and a woman were executed on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha. The arrests were made after a disturbing video of the killing circulated widely on social media, showing a group of armed men shooting the couple.
At least 14 individuals involved in another ‘honour’ based killing in Quetta’s Degari area, where a man and a woman were executed on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha. The arrests were made after a disturbing video of the killing circulated widely on social media, showing a group of armed men shooting the couple.
In response to growing public outrage, the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning such killings as unlawful and inhumane. The resolution called for immediate action against the perpetrators of the Degari murders, criticised parallel justice systems like unauthorized jirgas, and urged reforms to prevent further violence in the name of tradition.
Despite mounting public condemnation and growing awareness, ‘honour’ based killings persist across Pakistan, rooted in deeply entrenched notions of family dignity. Convictions remain rare, as communities often shield perpetrators under the guise of tradition, highlighting the urgent need for stronger legal enforcement and institutional reform.
Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan indicates that 346 people were killed in the name of ‘honour’ between January and November 2024, with the highest figures reported from Sindh and Punjab. A separate report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) recorded 547 cases of ‘honour’ based killings nationwide in 2024. In Balochistan alone, 32 such cases were reported, but only one conviction was recorded.