Initial findings suggest victims were killed over suspicion of alleged illicit relationship, police say
2 suspects arrested for allegedly killing two women and a man for ‘honour’ in KP’s Charsadda
Two suspects have been arrested for allegedly shooting dead two women and a man in an alleged honor killing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district after being accused of having an illicit relationship, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place on Wednesday in the Matta Mughal Khel area, where, according to police, family members of the victims opened fire on the three victims, killing them instantly.
Police rushed to the scene after the incident, while the alleged attackers initially managed to escape. The bodies were taken into custody and taken to Shabqadar Hospital for an autopsy.
Read: Teenage girl allegedly killed for ‘honour’ by her uncle and cousin in lower KP
Police spokesman Safiullah Khan said the victims were killed over suspicion of an alleged illicit relationship. He said an investigation had been opened and searches were being carried out at various locations to arrest the suspects.
Charsadda District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Khan said initial findings suggested that the three killings appeared to have been carried out in the name of “honour”. He confirmed the arrest of two named suspects.
The DPO added that further investigation was underway and a first information report (FIR) was being registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 311 (of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The incident occurred the same day police confirmed the murder of a 19-year-old woman who was allegedly shot dead by her uncle and cousin in Lower Dir district after she was seen talking to a neighbor outside her home.
The woman was killed on June 26 in the mountain village of Kharkai under Khar police station. Police said she was shot with a Kalashnikov and investigators recovered spent bullet casings at the crime scene.
Honor killings remain a serious and persistent human rights problem in Pakistan, despite legal reforms and growing public awareness.
Read also: 405 honor killings recorded across Pakistan in 2024 (HRCP)
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that at least 405 so-called honor killings were recorded in Pakistan in 2024. In its annual report for 2025, the commission said the figure rose to 470. Most of the victims were women, often killed by relatives claiming to uphold family honor.
The killings were reported not only from Lower Dir but also from several other districts of the province, including Peshawar, Upper Dir, Swat and Charsadda.
According to KP Police data obtained by The Express PK Press Club160 cases of honor killings were reported across the province in 2025, compared to 159 cases in 2024. About 70 percent of victims in the 2024 cases were women.
Data shows that 374 people were named in honor killing cases last year, of whom 258 were arrested. However, police said that, except for a few cases, many suspects were later released after an agreement was reached between the parties.
