Pakistan: Bugti tribe’s first female singer shot dead in Dera Bugti

A pioneering Balochi female folk singer from the Bugti tribe, Mai Subhai Bugti, was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Dera Bugti, Balochistan. Police confirmed she was the first female singer from the Bugti tribe to be targeted in such an attack.

Quetta: A Balochi female folk singer from the Bugti tribe was shot dead in Dera Bugti in Balochistan province of Pakistan, local media reported on Thursday.

The deceased female singer, identified as Mai Subhai Bugti, was considered among the first female singers belonging to the Bugti tribe, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.

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According to the police, unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire on Mai Subhai Bugti on the outskirts of Dera Bugti and fled from the spot. The police said that the singer suffered several gunshot injuries and died on the spot.

Police have lodged a case against unidentified attackers and took the body of the deceased to the hospital for medico-legal formalities. A police official said that a female singer has been targeted in Dera Bugti for the first time, adding that the motive behind the killing is yet to be ascertained as the investigation is ongoing.

The incident yet again highlights the growing violence against women in Pakistan.

Last month, a 28-year-old content creator with more than 1.3 million followers was shot dead while her younger sister was seriously injured after the firing and a subsequent accident in Pakistan’s Taxila.

According to the first information report (FIR), the deceased, Shamsu Bibi, also known as Ayesha, left home in a vehicle along with her sister Asmiya Bibi and brother Nematullah. While passing on the road, unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle targeted the vehicle and opened fire, resulting in Shamsu Bibi suffering multiple gunshot wounds while the vehicle lost control and crashed during the firing. Shamsu Bibi died inside the vehicle while her younger sister was seriously injured, Pakistan-based another daily The Express Tribune reported.

In the FIR, the father of the deceased said that his daughter was active on TikTok for around three to four years and had around 1.3 million followers on her social media account. In the complaint, her father said that the deceased had financial dealings with individuals named Kausar and Javed, and she had allegedly received death threats from them over demands for repayment of money.

The complainant told police that a man identified as Kashi had called his daughter and told her to leave the house. The armed men allegedly opened fire on the vehicle as it passed on the road, The Express Tribune reported.

In July, Sahil, an Islamabad-based organisation, documented 3,172 cases of gender-based violence in Pakistan during the first six months of 2026, including 18 cases involving transgender persons.

According to the report, 644 murders, 514 cases of torture, 462 abductions, 363 suicides, 280 rapes, 175 injuries, 132 honour killings, and 21 other crimes, including harassment, gang rape and pornography cases, were reported in Pakistan in the first six months of 2026, Dawn reported.

As per the report, 334 victims were aged between the age group of 21-30 years, while 306 victims were aged between 11-20 years and 120 victims were aged between 31-40 years. The ages of victims were not included in 71 per cent of the cases.