A man and a woman were killed on late Sunday evening in an ‘honour’-related incident in the Bashigram area of Madyan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district, police said on Monday.

‘Honour’ killings refer to the murder of individuals, predominantly women and girls, by family members who believe the victim has brought dishonour upon the family.

In a first information report (FIR) filed by a close relative of the deceased woman, it was stated that she was killed by her husband.

“The suspect thought his wife had an illicit relationship with the man, following which he killed both,” the police said.

According to the FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the suspect first opened fire on the man, after which he went home and shot his wife, and then proceeded to strike her with an axe.

The FIR has been filed under Sections 302 (punishment of premeditated murder) and 324 (attempt to commit murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). A search operation is underway to apprehend the suspect, who is currently on the run, the police said.

Swat police spokesperson Moin Ali said that District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Umar Khan has taken notice of the incident, directing DSP Madyan Circle to investigate the matter from all possible angles.

On June 15, a couple was killed in a suspected ‘honour’ killing in KP’s Maulana Kaly Fatma area of Mardan district. On the same day, a 17-year-old boy was gunned down in KP’s Martung tehsil in the name of “honour”.

On May 26, a man allegedly gunned down three people, including a child, for ‘honour’ in KP’s Upper Dir district.

Data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) shows that in 2024, ‘honour’ killings continued to be a serious issue across Pakistan, with particularly high figures in Sindh and Punjab.

From January to November, a total of 346 people fell victim to “honour” crimes in the country.

In 2023, the country saw a total of 490 ‘honour’ killing incidents taking place, while in 2022, as many as 590 people lost their lives to similar murders.