Four people were found murdered inside their home in Skardu. A husband, his wife and their two small children. According to police reporting, the children were four and two years old.
I keep thinking about those children. What could they possibly have done to deserve such a death?
The family was killed near Madina Colony on the night of 29 October 2026. Dawn reported that police identified the parents as Aslam and Hania, and suspected that the killings might have been motivated by so-called honour. The investigation had not established the motive or the attackers’ identities when those reports appeared.
That distinction matters. Four murders are a fact. The proposed motive and accusations against particular relatives still require proof.
They Married. Why Should That Be a Crime?
Aslam and Hania reportedly married in Karachi several years ago. Accounts attributed to people close to the family say relatives opposed the marriage. Reporting based on BBC Urdu interviews says Hania had appeared before a court and stated that she married of her own free will.
They settled in Skardu and raised two children. If investigators confirm that hostility over their marriage led to the killings, a private choice made years earlier may have become a death sentence. How long must a couple live under someone else’s anger?
Since When Did Tribal Honour Become More Important Than Islam?
I am a Muslim. I was taught that human life is sacred and that every person must answer to Allah for their actions.
The Quran, in Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:32, describes the gravity of unjust killing through a comparison with killing all humanity. Surah Al-Isra 17:33 prohibits taking a life that Allah has made sacred except with legal justification.
Where does Islam give a father, brother or uncle permission to murder someone because a marriage displeases the family? It does not.
Muslim jurists have debated some legal requirements of marriage, including guardianship. None of those debates gives relatives permission to commit private violence. No family custom can turn murder into religious duty.
In some communities, a woman’s marriage becomes a test of male authority. People who claim to defend religion can end up defending customs that contradict its basic prohibition on unjust killing. I find that contradiction painful.
Our Religious Scholars Must Confront This Mindset
Many religious scholars have condemned honour killings. In 2016, dozens of scholars issued a ruling against the practice. The Pakistan Ulema Council again declared honour killings un-Islamic in July 2025. Those interventions matter.
But a declaration after another murder cannot be the whole response. Mosques and religious schools influence how families understand authority and duty. Their leaders should challenge the belief that a woman’s choice gives relatives the right to punish her.
A Friday sermon can explain that a daughter is not her family’s property. Religious teachers should challenge the language of honour itself when people use it to excuse violence. Calling murder honourable does not change what it is.
Will Allah Forgive Those Who Commit Such Murders?
Surah An-Nisa 4:93 warns of severe punishment for intentionally killing a believer. Islam also teaches that Allah’s mercy is vast. Final judgement belongs to Allah alone, not to me.
But I can ask how anyone can claim to defend Islam while deliberately violating its prohibition against unjust killing. Even a marriage that offends a family tradition cannot justify harm to a couple, much less their children.
Pakistan Has Laws. Why Are Families Still Afraid?
Pakistan strengthened its criminal law against honour killings in 2016, seeking to restrict the use of family forgiveness to evade punishment. The legal framework matters, but people facing credible threats also need protection before violence occurs.
Reports say the couple had faced threats. Investigators should establish whether anyone informed the police, whether protection was requested and what steps, if any, authorities took. We cannot assume police knew of the danger without evidence.
A court can recognise a marriage. Safety outside the courtroom requires authorities to act when a threat is credible.
What Are We Teaching the Next Generation?
I have long believed education should help children grow into adults who can make responsible decisions. Parents may advise them about marriage. Advice is not ownership.
A daughter does not lose her rights when her parents disagree with her choice. A brother does not acquire a right to threaten his sister because he dislikes the man she wants to marry.
We should ask what our homes teach children about family reputation. Is it more important than another person’s safety? The answer should be clear before the next marriage dispute.
Four Lives, and a Question Pakistan Cannot Ignore
Aslam and Hania had built a life together in Skardu. Their children had no part in any dispute between adults. All four are now dead.
Police must establish who killed them and why. Anyone found responsible must face justice through a fair trial. Religious leaders should keep confronting beliefs that place family control above human life, while the state must take credible threats seriously.
I return to the children. Whatever investigators eventually establish about the motive, nothing can justify their killing. If this was an honour killing, what honour was preserved?
Sources and further reading
Dawn: Four of a family found dead in Skardu home; Dunya News: Police investigation and suspected motive; Radio Pakistan: Pakistan Ulema Council’s condemnation.
Related reading on Munaeem.org
The Qur’an Gives Principles of Government. Who Designed the State? explores the relationship between religious principles and public authority. Why Do Pakistanis Think They Have a Right to Know Everything About Your Life? examines social pressure and family boundaries.