The “Honorable Execution” video has sparked outrage across Pakistan, including the arrest of 16 individuals, including tribal chiefs.
According to a report by the “Dawn Newspaper” in Pakistan, a video of a couple being executed “honorably” in Baluchistan Province recently went viral online, its brutal and real-life scene causing widespread outrage across the nation. On social media platforms in Pakistan, topics such as “Justice for these lovers” have been trending relentlessly. On July 26th, many people took to the streets, holding up signs reading “No tribe law, just national law!” in protest against the culture of private executions like “honorable executions.”
In the video, a woman named Banu Bibi was shot dead by her own brother after being accused of running off with a man named Ullah. Banu pleaded with her brother, “You can wait for me to walk seven steps, then shoot. Let this matter end here.” Following three shots, Banu fell to the ground, and her lover also perished, leading to their execution.
Following the release of the video, public criticism and anger were met with fervent responses.
Bilal Muntaqi, the Chief Minister of Baluchistan Province, held an emergency press conference, solemnly promising that the government would not remain silent on such barbaric acts.
To date, 16 individuals involved in the case have been arrested, including Banu’s mother Gul Jan Bibi and local tribal chiefs, but the murderer responsible for the “honorable execution,” Banu’s brother, remains at large.
Muntaqi stated that the Baluchistan Provincial Government would use this incident as an opportunity to legally deal with the perpetrators without external interference, preventing similar incidents from happening again.
However, Gul Jan Bibi argued in a video statement that she and her family had not committed any crimes. They had punished the wrongdoer according to the “old traditions of the Baluchis and Pashtuns.” She mentioned that Banu had three sons and two daughters, yet chose to run off with someone else and had left home for 25 days, severely damaging the family’s reputation.
The phenomenon of “honorable executions” primarily occurs among the Baluchi and Pashtun tribes in northwestern Pakistan. Tribal chiefs have the authority to convene meetings and sentence those deemed to bring shame to their tribe to death, with members directly carrying out the executions. The criteria for determining someone as bringing shame is often subjective, defined by the chiefs themselves, such as “having unacceptable gender relations,” “improper dress and demeanor,” or “disobeying elders’ decisions.” The victims are mostly women.
According to the “Dawn Newspaper,” despite Pakistan declaring the act of “honorable execution” illegal in 2016, due to limited governmental control over these tribes, most cases of “honorable executions” could not be handled according to the law. Statistics from the Pakistan Human Rights Commission show that, alone in 2024, at least 346 citizens died under the guise of “honorable executions.”