Death of six people in tribal clash over bike snatching

DERA GHAZI KHAN: After 15 hours of the protest, Indus Highway was opened for traffic when the heirs of the six deceased persons agreed to shift the bodies from the road on the intervention of former MPA Sardar Sher Ali Mazari on Sunday.

According to the police, Dulani Mazari tribesmen allegedly killed Abdul Malik, son of Abdul Kareem and injured Meeran Bakhsh, son of Inam Din, belonging to Banu tribe, over the suspicion of snatching a motorcycle at Mauza Belay Shah on Friday night. On Saturday, people belonging to Banu tribe allegedly attacked Dulani Mazari tribesmen with latest weapons in the riverine belt of Roojhan Mazari, Rajanpur district. As a result, Qutab Din, son of Muhammad Khan, Nazar, son of Ali Bakhsh, Abdul Shakoor, son of Mohib Ali, Abdul Kareem, son of Bahadur Khan, Shahbaz, son of Reham Dil, and an unidentified man were killed on the spot.

The tribesmen alleged that despite information, the police did not reach the spot timely while the firing continued for the couple of hours. The elders and political figures of Mazari tribe interfered for the ceasefire while Dulani Mazari placed the bodies on Indus Highway and blocked it for traffic on Saturday night. The blockade of the road continued till Sunday morning. After 15 hours of the protest, the protesters cleared the road, which links Karachi with Peshawar, on the intervention of former MPA Sardar Sher Ali Mazari and shifted the bodies to the tehsil headquarters hospital for postmortem.

When contacted, the Bunglow Icha police station SHO said that both tribes had a land dispute for some years. Now, the clash occurred between the two tribes over the issue of snatching a motorcycle, he added. He claimed that the police reached the spot timely and started legal action. PTI MNA Sardar Riaz Mehmood Mazari said that it was the negligence of the police, which could not counter the accused. He said that millions of rupees had been spent by the police for conducting an operation in the riverine area, but police had failed to curb the crime.

APP ADDS FROM LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has taken a notice of the murder of six people over a motorcycle dispute and sought a report from the IGP.