Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic target killing of Professor Ghamkhoar Heyat in Nushki. A respected Brahvi poet, writer and intellectual, he was killed by the state-backed death squad. His brother has been missing for years. No one is spared from these atrocities in

GWADAR / QUETTA: A woman police constable and a Brahvi-language poet were gunned down in the Turbat and Nushki areas of Balochistan on Saturday. Police officials said woman police constable Shakeela was on her way to Turbat town on a motorcycle along with her husband and child when armed men targeted her near Apsar Research Farm. “The lady constable died on the spot as she suffered multiple bullet injuries, while her husband and child were injured in the firing,” a police official in Turbat said. Police rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the attack and shifted the body and injured to hospital. The husband was identified as Sunil and the child as seven-month-old Abbas. The official said, “It was a case of targeted killing”. He added police were investigating the matter. The constable was on her way to perform court duty when she was attacked. The attackers fled the scene immediately after the incident. Last month, a woman constable of the Khuzdar police was killed by armed men in the Zehri area of Balochistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “terrorist” attack, prayed for the martyred constable’s soul and for patience and perseverance for the martyr’s family. He said the sacrifices of the martyrs in the war against terrorism would not go in vain. “The government is determined to completely eradicate terrorism from the country, he added. Also, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of Constable Shakeela, while calling her a “brave daughter of Balochistan who fulfilled her duty with unwavering commitment and laid down her life for her beloved homeland”. He said the entire nation saluted her bravery and dedication. **Brahvi poet shot dead** Meanwhile, a teacher and poet of Brahvi language was gunned down in Nushki, police said. They added that Prof Mohammad Khan aka Ghamkhawar Hayat was targeted in the Killi Mengal area of Nushki while he was on his way to Government Degree College, Nushki. “Prof Mohammad was a professor of the Brahvi language at the college,” SP Nushki Saleem Shah­wani told _Dawn_ , adding that the assailants escaped after opening fire. He added that the professor was also a Brahvi-language poet. Nobody has claimed responsibility for either of the incidents. The teacher was son of prominent political activist Abdul Hameed Sasoli. He was appointed Brahvi language teacher in 2014. Fifteen literature books were to his credit. Chief minister’s aide Shahid Rind termed the killing an attack on Balochistan’s literary tradition and assured that the elements involved in this brutal killing would be brought to justice. _Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2026_

A video circulating on social media has sparked outrage in Pakistan after it showed a couple being shot dead in what appears to be an honor killing in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province. The graphic footage, widely shared since Saturday night, shows a group of armed men forcing a woman and a man to stand apart in a mountainous area before shooting them dead. The attackers are heard speaking Brahvi, a language spoken by some ethnic Baloch tribes. According to unverified reports, the incident took place in Digari, a coal-mining area in Quetta district. The couple allegedly eloped against the will of their families. Reports suggest the woman belonged to the Satakzai tribe and the man to the Sumalani tribe, both part of the ethnic Baloch community. In the video, the woman can be heard saying in Brahvi, “You are only allowed to shoot me,” moments before she is killed — a phrase that observers say points to a decision made by a tribal jirga or council. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said the act was “intolerable.” “Those involved in this incident will be brought to justice and held accountable under the law,” Rind said at a press conference in Karachi. Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said initial investigations revealed the killings happened a few days before the Eid festival, though the video only recently surfaced. “A case has been registered under terrorism charges in the name of the state, and one suspect involved in the woman’s killing has been arrested,” Bugti posted on social media platform X. “Law will take its course. Authorities have been directed to pursue the case seriously and ensure the harshest punishment for the perpetrators.” Police and Counter-Terrorism Department teams are in the area, and NADRA, the national identity authority, has been asked to help identify others involved. The killings come amid renewed concern over honor crimes in Pakistan, where victims are often targeted for defying family or tribal traditions. In a separate case this month, a woman was reportedly killed for refusing a marriage proposal, prompting further anger over violence against women. “These systems of violence persist, but the law does not allow them,” Rind said, referring to jirgas. “The full truth will emerge after investigations." _*Reporting by Saadullah Akhtar_