ATC grants 10-day remand of key suspect in Quetta 'honour killing' case

Pakistan Ulema Council urges justice, says Sharia forbids pardoning unjust killings, even by family

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An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Quetta on Wednesday granted a 10-day physical remand of accused Sardar Sherbaz Sakazai in the high-profile double murder case of a woman and a man, Express News reported. The case stems from a gruesome incident in the Degari area, three days before Eidul Azha, in which a woman and man were killed in public.

The accused was presented before ATC No 1 in Quetta, where the court approved the police’s request for extended remand. The court directed his custody remain with the police’s Serious Crime Investigation Wing.

The grisly video of the attack circulated on social media three days ago, prompting Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti to take notice, leading to multiple arrests.

Read More: 14 suspects arrested over 'honour killing' of couple in Balochistan

However, in a startling development, the victim’s mother, Gul Jan, claimed her daughter, Bano, had been punished under Baloch customary law.

She said Bano had absconded with a man named Ehsan for 25 days before being pardoned by her husband, and that the decision to kill her followed a jirga-held, culturally sanctioned judgment.

She added that Ehsan had threatened her sons and shouted provocations in TikTok videos. Gul Jan appealed for the release of Sardar Sherbaz and other detainees.

Also Read: LHC grills CTD on kill pattern during 'encounters'

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Ulema Council condemned the mother’s statement as contrary to the Quran, Sunnah, and Pakistan's Constitution, accusing her of complicity in the crime.

Senior clerics, including Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi and Maulana Maqbool Ahmed, urged the state and judiciary to take action against all perpetrators and facilitators, emphasising that even if family members seek forgiveness for perpetrators, “Sharia does not allow pardon in unjust killings.”

The religious body further stressed that parents implicated in the murder should also be held accountable, regardless of social or tribal customs, and urged full investigation and legal action in accordance with the law.