The stoning in the northwest of the country was apparently carried out by Pakistani Taleban militants, incensed because she was seen out with a man. It was shown in a video obtained by a Dubai television station.

The footage is a stark reminder that despite a series of military offensives the military said had weakened insurgents, militants still control areas of northwest Pakistan and impose their will.

Al Aan television, which focuses on women's issues in the Arab world, said it obtained the tape from its "sources" and that it took place in Orakzai agency in the northwest. It said it had other footage of a man who was executed by shooting, possibly the one the woman was seen with.

It was not possible to verify its authenticity or when it was filmed.

Such videos aren't unique. Last year Pakistanis were outraged after footage widely aired on television showed militants in the northwest Swat Valley publicly flogging a teenage girl accused of having an affair.

The government had virtually ceded control of Swat to militants under a deal to end fighting there and some Pakistanis, disillusioned with a police and judiciary critics say are corrupt and ineffective, initially welcomed the Taleban in the former tourist resort.

That video greatly undermined any public support the Taleban had in Pakistan, and this one, with its stark brutality, could further sour public opinion against the Taleban.