Jirga imposes Rs60m fine on Zardari clan over murder of five men of Bhand community

KARACHI: A private ‘jirga’ on Saturday imposed a fine of Rs60 million on the members of Zardari community by declaring them guilty of killing five men of the Bhand community in district Shaheed Benazirabad over a land dispute two years back.

On February 12, 2022, five men from the Bhand community and a police officer were killed in an armed attack carried out by the tribals from Zardari community due to a land dispute near Qazi Ahmad, a small town in Shaheed Benazirabad district.

Although a police officer Sub Inspector Hameed Khoso was also killed along with five people of Bhand community, Mashooq Bhand, Tooh Bhand, Ayaz Bhand, Saban Bhand, and Akbar Bhand, but his murder issue was neither decided by the jirga nor did the police department pursue the case of its officer due to the influence of the accused persons. The head of the jirga, Syed Zain Shah, in his decision, said that the Zardari community is guilty of the killings and thus it has to pay Rs60 million to the victim party, including Rs7 million each for the deceased, Rs0.5 million each for seriously injured persons and other amount in the head of compensation of litigation of the cases.

Hundreds of people and dignitaries were present to hear the decision.

It is pertinent to mention that after the tragic incident, protesters carrying the bodies of five slain people of Bhand community had continued their 60-hour-long sit-in on the National Highway near Qazi Ahmad till an FIR was registered against 17 suspects belonging to the Zardari tribe at Mirzapur police station, in district Shaheed Benazirabad on the complaint of Mohammad Aban under sections 302, 324, 147, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code against Mohsin Zardari, Shahzado Zardari, Abid Zardari, Ali Mohammad, Muqeem Zardari, Nawaz Zardari, Mushtaq, Haq Nawaz, Ghulam Mustafa, Imran and others.

On the other hand, the first information report (FIR) of the slain police official Hameed Khoso was registered against three nominated accused Umeed Ali, Barkat, and Manzoor from the Zardari tribe, 10 unknown accused of the Bhand community and other unknown under the sections of murder and anti-terrorism.

According to the details, on the day of the incident, the armed persons of the Zardari tribe, along with a heavy contingent of police in 20 vehicles, reached the disputed land of the Bhand and Mallah community and tried to harvest the crop. However, when the locals offered resistance, they opened fire on them, killing five members of the Bhand community and injuring 10 others.