Two suspects have been arrested for allegedly shooting dead two women and a man in a suspected honour killing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Charsadda district, police said on Thursday. The victims were accused of having an illicit relationship.
Incident Details
The incident took place in the Matta Mughal Khel area on Wednesday. According to police, family members of the victims opened fire on the three, killing them on the spot. Police rushed to the scene after the incident, while the suspected attackers initially managed to flee. The bodies were taken into custody and transported to Shabqadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police Investigation
Police spokesperson Safiullah Khan said the victims were killed over suspicions of an alleged illicit relationship. He said an investigation had been launched and raids were being conducted 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 nominated suspects. The DPO added that further investigation was underway and that a first information report (FIR) was being registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Similar Incident in Lower Dir
The incident occurred the same day police confirmed the killing 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 neighbour outside her home. The woman was killed on June 26 in the mountainous village of Kharkai, within the jurisdiction of Khar Police Station. Police said she was shot with a Kalashnikov, and investigators recovered spent bullet casings from the crime scene.
Honour Killings in Pakistan
Honour killing remains a serious and persistent human rights issue in Pakistan despite legal reforms and growing public awareness. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that at least 405 so-called honour killings were recorded in Pakistan in 2024. In its annual report for 2025, the commission said the figure had risen to 470. Most victims were women, often killed by relatives claiming to defend family honour. The killings have been reported not only in Lower Dir but also in several other districts of the province, including Peshawar, Upper Dir, Swat and Charsadda.
According to K-P Police data obtained by The Express Tribune, 160 honour killing cases were reported across the province in 2025, compared with 159 cases in 2024. Around 70 per cent of the victims in the 2024 cases were women. The data showed that 374 people were nominated in honour killing cases last year, of whom 258 were arrested. However, police said that, except for a few cases, many suspects were later released after settlements were reached between the parties.
