An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Quetta on Wednesday approved a 10-day physical remand of Sardar Sherbaz Sakazai, the prime suspect in a high-profile double murder case involving a man and a woman in the Degari area, just days before Eidul Azha. The killings, carried out publicly, sparked outrage after a disturbing video of the incident surfaced on social media, prompting Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti to take notice and initiate a crackdown that led to multiple arrests.
Sakazai was produced before ATC No. 1 in Quetta, where the court granted the police’s request for an extended remand and ordered that he remain in the custody of the Serious Crime Investigation Wing.
In a surprising twist, the female victim’s mother, Gul Jan, defended the killings, claiming her daughter Bano was punished under Baloch tribal customs. She stated that Bano had eloped with a man named Ehsan for 25 days and, although initially pardoned by her husband, was later sentenced to death by a tribal jirga. Gul Jan also accused Ehsan of provoking her family through threatening TikTok videos and appealed for the release of the accused, including Sakazai.
The Pakistan Ulema Council strongly denounced the mother’s justification, declaring her stance as contrary to Islamic teachings and the Constitution. Religious leaders, including Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi and Maulana Maqbool Ahmed, called on the judiciary and state to ensure all involved—regardless of familial or tribal ties—are prosecuted. They emphasized that Sharia law does not permit forgiveness in cases of unjust killings and urged full legal accountability for everyone complicit in the crime.
Read more: Religious Parties Condemn Balochistan Honour Killing Incident Strongly
