A couple who had married by their own choice were shot dead inside a passenger coach on the National Highway near the VIG Gate in Sukkur district, Sindh province, Pakistan, with police confirming the killings were carried out in the name of honour, according to local media reports on Friday, 23 October 2026. The victims have been identified as Sidra Samejo and Deedar Sheikh.

How the Attack Unfolded

The couple were reportedly travelling to Karachi when unidentified assailants opened fire on them inside the coach and attempted to flee. Baiji Sharif police arrived at the scene after receiving information about the attack and arrested two suspects — Abdul Malik Samejo and Abdul Hanan Samejo — along with a repeater shotgun. The bodies of both victims were taken to a nearby hospital for post-mortem examination.

What the Victim's Affidavit Revealed

A free-will affidavit dated 28 September 2026, signed by Sidra Samejo, laid bare the circumstances that preceded her killing. In the document, she described how her former husband, Abdul Hanan, had allegedly mistreated her and issued her a divorce through triple talaq in 2024. She stated that following the divorce, her relatives pressurised her to marry someone of their choosing against her wishes.

Sidra further documented that she had married Deedar Ali in April 2026 of her own volition, and explicitly stated that she feared threats from relatives — including her former husband and other family members. The affidavit, filed weeks before her death, now serves as a grim, self-authored record of the danger she had anticipated.

A Disturbing Pattern in Pakistan

This killing is not an isolated incident. On 21 September 2026, an 18-year-old woman identified as Zarqa Bibi, who had recently married by her own choice, was allegedly killed by her brother in Orangi Town, Karachi. According to Mominabad SHO Shahbaz Yusuf, Zarqa had married roughly three weeks earlier and had been living with her husband when her family persuaded her to return home for a formal wedding ceremony. She was killed at her parents' home and her suspected killer, identified as Safeer Khan, subsequently fled. Police were conducting raids to arrest him at the time of reporting.

Human rights organisations have long flagged Pakistan as one of the countries with the highest reported rates of honour killings globally. Critics argue that legislation against the practice — including amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code — has not been effectively enforced, allowing perpetrators, particularly family members, to evade meaningful accountability.

Investigation Ongoing

Police confirmed that further investigation is underway to determine the full circumstances surrounding the Sukkur killing. The arrest of the two Samejo suspects is a preliminary step; investigators are yet to establish whether others were involved in planning or executing the attack.

The case has once again drawn attention to the urgent need for stronger enforcement mechanisms and witness-protection frameworks for women who file free-will affidavits — documents that, as this case demonstrates, can document a threat without guaranteeing protection against it.