Quetta | Pakistan

QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) sent the mother of a woman shot in the name of ‘honour’ to prison on judicial remand on Saturday. Police produced Gul Jan Bibi before Judge Muhammad Ali Mobeen of the ATC-I after the expiry of her two-day physical remand and the investigation officer informed the court that she was not required for further investigation. After the initial arguments from both sides, the jud­ge sent the woman on judicial remand. Gul Jan Bibi was arrested after her video statement went viral, in which she defended the killing of her daughter, Bano Bibi, and a man in the name of ‘honour’ in Dagari, on the outskirts of Quetta. “They were killed according to the Baloch traditions and customs and we have not committed any sin by killing them,” Gul Jan Bibi said about the incident that shook the nation after videos of a group of men shooting the victims surfaced online earlier this month. So far, around 15 people, including the tribal chief of Satakzai tribe, Sardar Sherbaz Khan Satakzai, have be...

Four young girls from the same family tragically drowned while playing near a stream in Balochistan’s Dukki district, close to Quetta.

QUETTA - An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Wednesday extended the physical remand of tribal leader Sardar Sherbaz for 10 more days in connection with the killing of a cou-ple who were shot dead ahead of Eidul Adha for so-called honour.

A Quetta anti-terrorism court on Wednesday extended the physical remand of tribal leader Sardar Sherbaz Satakzai, one of the main suspects in the ‘honour’ killing of a man and a woman, for 10 more days. The viral video of the murder showed a group of men leading a couple out of vehicles and into a desert before gunning them down with pistols and shooting the bodies. Political figures and activists said it was an ‘honour’ killing incident. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Sunday that he had directed the provincial police to take immediate action, following which one suspect was apprehended. Sardar Satakzai is one of the main suspects in the case and was presented before the Quetta ATC on Monday before being handed over to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW) on a two-day physical remand on the judge’s order upon the police’s request. He was presented in the ATC today before Judge Muhammad Mubeen, who accepted the police request and granted Satakzai’s physical remand for another 10 days,...

• House passes joint resolution, terms incident ‘horrifying example’ of misuse of concept of ‘honour’ • Brother of slain woman still not in custody, BHC told QUETTA: The Balochistan As­­sembly unanimously adopted a joint resolution moved by Women Parliamentary Caucus, conde­m­ning the barbaric killing of a couple in the Dagari coal mines area of Quetta district, reportedly in the name of so-called honour. Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola, who belongs to the PPP, presented the resolution in the house on behalf of the Women Parlia­mentary Caucus and several ministers. The house, presided over by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai, condemned the killing and termed the incident a horrifying example of the continued misuse of the concept of honour to justify the killing of innocent people, especially women. “Such acts are not only condemnable and shameful but also an assault on the peace and stability of society as a whole,” the resolution said. The resolution emphasised that honour killings had no connection to the Ba...

A man allegedly shot dead his daughter and nephew in Quetta on Tuesday in the name of ‘honour’, just days after the Degari case, in which a couple was gunned down in broad daylight, drawing widespread condemnation, according to the police. Shalkot Sub-Divisional Police Officer Athar Rashid told Dawn.com, “The daughter and the nephew died in the firing, while the suspect managed to escape after the incident.” The bodies were taken to the hospital for medicolegal formalities, after which they were handed over to the heirs. Rashid added that a team from Kechi Baig police station was conducting raids to arrest the suspect. “The suspect will be arrested soon, while further investigation into the incident is underway,” he said. The incident comes two days after the police arrested at least 14 suspects for their involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in Quetta’s Degari area, who were shot dead on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha for so-called ‘honour’. The arrests were made after a video of ...

QUETTA: Police have arrested at least 14 suspects for their involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in the Quetta district, who were shot dead on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha for so-called honour. The horrific video of the incident went viral on Sunday, prompting a countrywide outcry. Baloc­histan Police chief Moa­zzam Jah Ansari told Dawn the woman’s family and her tribe members were allegedly involved in the murder as they killed her and her partner for allegedly having a relationship out of wedlock. The man who shot and killed the woman was her brother, the IGP said. On Sunday, it was reported that the woman and the man had contracted a love marriage, and they were invited by their families on the pretext of a feast, where they were informed about the decision of the jirga. Separately, a court ordered the police to exh­ume the bodies and conduct an autopsy, while an anti-­t­errorism court granted physical remand of Sardar Sher­baz Satak­zai to police for two days. Balochistan Hi...

In a shocking case of honour killing near Quetta’s Sanjadi-Degari area, the bodies of a man and a woman both brutally shot dead were exhumed on court orders for post-mortem examination, officials confirmed on Monday.

QUETTA: Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal was barred from travelling abroad on Sunday after being offloaded from a Dubai-bound flight at Quetta Airport. According to airport sources, his name was placed on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), preventing him from leaving the country. In a post on X, Akhtar Mengal confirmed […]

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Friday handed Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other organisers of the group into police custody for 15 days, marking yet another extension of their detention. In March, Mahrang and other BYC members were arrested for “attacking” the Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”, a day after the group faced a police crackdown while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. Mahrang has been held at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta under Section 3 of the Mainte­nance of Public Order (MPO) — a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain individuals suspected of posing a threat to public order. On July 8, a Quetta ATC handed Mahrang and other activists into police custody for 10 days, extending their three-month detention. The other activists were Gulzadi, Bebow Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahji, Ghaffar Baloch and Beberg Baloch. Today...

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi arrived in Quetta today on his first official visit to the provincial capital since assuming office.

QUETTA: Iran Air plans to launch direct weekly passenger and cargo flights from Quetta to the Iranian cities of Zahidan and Mashhad in a move aimed at boosting trade and travel between the neighbouring countries, an Iranian diplomat announced on Saturday. The new air service will help facilitate commerce, reduce travel time and costs for traders, and strengthen bilateral ties, said Ali Reza Rajai, Iran’s acting consul general in Quetta. The announcement was made at a ceremony organised by the Pak-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce. The flights are intended “to facilitate trade and travel between Pakistan and Iran,” Rajai said, stressing the need for stronger cooperation. Top officials from the airline, including Iran Air Chief Agha Karimi and Deputy Chief Agha Ismail, were also in attendance. Mr Rajai said the new service would be critical for enhancing port-to-port cooperation between Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and Iran’s Chabahar Port. He called for bureaucratic hurdles to be removed to improve bilateral business, ...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Tuesday handed Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other organisers of the group into police custody for 10 days, extending their three-month detention. In March, Mahrang and other BYC members were arrested for “attacking” the Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”, a day after the group faced a police crackdown while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. Mahrang has been held at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta under Section 3 of the Mainte­nance of Public Order (MPO) — a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain individuals suspected of posing a threat to public order. Mahrang’s counsel, Advocate Israr Baloch, told Dawn.com that the BYC organiser and five other activists were presented before Judge Saadat Bazai, who approved the state prosecutor’s request for their 10-day physical remand. The other activists were ...

QUETTA - The 7th Muharram procession ended peacefully in the provincial capital Quetta on Thursday.

Six people were killed and seven were injured after a passenger bus caught fire after colliding with a loader rickshaw carrying petrol on the Western Bypass in Quetta, police said on Monday. Fatal road accidents on highways occur frequently in Pakistan, mainly due to overspeeding, hazardous overtaking and disregard for traffic rules. According to Shalkot Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Athar Rashid, “In the tragic incident, five passengers on the bus were killed and seven others were injured.” He said that the bodies of the deceased had become unrecognisable due to the burns. “The injured were taken to the Bolan Medical Complex and Civil Hospital, and two of them are in critical condition,” he said. DSP Rashid added that the local bus was going from Nawan area to Hazarganji when the accident occurred at the Raisani area on the Western Bypass, adding that the bus caught fire after colliding with a petrol-laden loader rickshaw. In a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind expressed sorr...

A tragic road accident on Quetta’s Western Bypass claimed six lives after a passenger bus was engulfed in flames, leaving ten others injured.

A one-day workshop titled "The Journey of Dreams" was successfully held at BUITEMS University, Quetta, uniting nearly 30 youth participants from various academic disciplines to explore the deep connection between personal aspirations and peacebuilding, with a focus on countering extremist ideologies.

QUETTA - Three people including a policeman sustained injuries when terrorists riding on motorcycle hurled hand grenade at them at Eastern Bypass near Bakra Market area of Quetta on Monday.

QUETTA - At least two people were martyred and seven others sustained injuries in bomb blast near Hanna Police Station area of Quetta on Saturday.

Two people were killed and 11 others were injured in an explosion in the Killi Mangal area near Quetta in Balochistan, a police official told Dawn.com on Saturday. According to Hanna Urak Station House Officer (SHO) Naveed Akhtar, Abdul Salam, a notable and the owner of a coal mine, was the target of the attack. “A banned organisation tried to extort money from him,” Akhtar told Dawn.com. “When he did not pay, around 100 armed suspects attacked his mine and destroyed the machinery there.” The SHO said that Salam, his brother and several of his men arrived at the mine, but were ambushed by the suspects and a gun battle ensued. “The armed suspects had planted explosives in the mine,” the SHO said. “They fled the scene before the explosion. Salam and his brother were killed by one of the explosives. There were also 11 injuries.” Immediately after the explosion, police and security forces reached the scene and started collecting evidence from the crime scene. According to SHO Akhtar, the suspects were armed with ...