Quetta:
At least 14 suspects were arrested for their presumed involvement in the brutal public murder of a man and a woman in Balutchistan, the authorities announced on Monday, one day after a video of the execution has become viral on social networks.
The chief minister of Balutchistan, Sarfraz Bugti, confirmed the arrests of 11 people in a press release and then declared to a press conference that all those involved would be brought to justice. He assured that measures would be taken in accordance with the law.
The news of the arrests occurred while the chief judge of Balutchistan, judge Rozi Khan Barrech, took note of Suo Motu of the murders and summoned the additional chief secretary (domicile) and the general inspector (IG) of the police to appear in court and to provide a briefing on the case on Tuesday (today).
The case is the subject of an investigation by the serious investigation into crimes (SCIW), according to the police. Citing local police officials, Reuters reported that the number of people arrested was 14.
Investigation officer Naveed Akhtar said that he and his team had reached Sanjidi, a town in Dagari on the outskirts of Quetta, where they confirmed that the double murder had occurred three days before Eidul Azha.
The victims, identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah, were the same people seen in the viral video. Ig Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters that the man who had pulled and killed the woman was his brother, acting on behalf of his family and his tribe.
According to the FIR, eight suspects have been directly appointed, while 15 others remain unidentified. Investigators visited the Degari region, collected from crucial judicial evidence and recorded the declarations of local residents and former tribal.
A police surgeon, who is part of the team, confirmed that the woman had suffered seven ball injuries. An accused, Sardar Sher Baz Satakzai – The chief of the tribe who had ordered the murder – was produced in court. The court ordered the police to exhume the bodies for an autopsy.
The post -mortem report of the victims has now been made public, confirming that the two have been slaughtered at close range in an act of brutal and calculated violence.
The Pakistani were shocked Sunday after a video surfaced on social networks showing brutal murders led in front of passers -by. The images aroused national indignation and generalized calls to justice. Later, officials said that the video had been recorded around Eidul Azha – which was celebrated in June.
The video shows people in a desert, and vans and SUVs in which they had apparently been taken there. The woman receives a copy of the Koran and she then tells a man: “Come and walk seven steps with me, after that, you can shoot me.” The man then follows her for a few steps.
A local police official told Reuters that the woman had not cried or did not look for mercy. “You are not allowed to shoot me. Nothing more than that,” said the woman in the Brahi regional language, translated to the reuters by the official. It was not clear what she meant by “nothing more than that”.
The man, who had followed him, then targeted a pistol by turning it to the shooter. The woman, wrapped in a shawl, stood motionless when shots were fired. She remained standing after two shots, delivered at close range, falling to the ground after the third blow.
Which is followed by a series of shots. The images then shows a bloody man lying on the ground, near the woman’s body. Then the men are shown by shooting on both bodies. According to AFP’s report, the man first fired several shots on the woman, then shot the man.
“We have arrested more than a dozen men for their involvement in the incident,” a senior police official on AFP said on condition of anonymity. The person in charge said that those arrested included a cousin of the woman and the tribal elder who directed the Jirga who ordered the murders.
Chief Minister Bugti condemned murders as completely inhuman. “A case has been registered against all those involved … and they will be prosecuted,” he said. “Neither society authorizes this [killing] nor the government. The government will not show any mercy to the accused. “”
It was reported that the two were slaughtered to marry alone, which was disapproved of by their families. However, the chief minister said that they were not married together, adding that the two had children – mother of five and father of six children – of their previous marriages.
“This incident has become viral on social networks and people want to know the truth. There are reports circulating on social networks that the deceased was a newly married couple, but [in fact] The two were not in a marital relationship, “he said.
“The woman who was killed in the incident has five children and the name of her husband is Noor. The deceased man was also already married and had six children,” said the chief minister, adding, however, that the two were brutally killed, which was unacceptable in any way.
The most disturbing thing in this case, the chief minister told journalists, was that no one was ready to record a first information report (FIR) with the police. “Parents and children of the deceased were present, but no FIR has been recorded so far,” he added.
Answering a question, Bugti said no one got this video from the outside, he was rather published by the killers themselves. He said that in this social media era, where news spread without research, such incidents must be studied before forging an opinion.
The chief minister acknowledged that the Jirga tribal system was still prevailing. “There is no doubt that we are part of a society where the Jirga system is still in place. Somewhere or otherwise, we are all under the influence of this system,” he said, adding that the government would take measures against these jirgas.
Meanwhile, a murder case was recorded under article 302 of the Pakistan Criminal Code (PPC) and relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The FIR said that the victims had been declared “Karo -Kari” – a term used for “honor murders” in a tribal jirga led by the eldest tribal Sardar Sherbaz Khan Satakzai.
After Jirga’s verdict, they were taken to vehicles in a remote area where they were slaughtered. The complainant of the case said that horrible law has been filmed and disseminated online, causing fear and panic among the public, he added.
(With agency entries)
