Activists demand transfer of Tania Khaskheli murder case to ATC in Karachi

Stressing on transferring the Tania Khaskheli murder case to an anti-terrorism court in Karachi from Jamshoro, rights activists on Wednesday demanded immediate arrests of all suspects involved in the murder.

The 19-year old girl was shot dead in front of her family on September 9 by an influential landlord of Jamshoro’s Jhangara Bajara Town along with his associates.

Criticising the Sindh government for its irresponsible attitude, especially of the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in whose hometown the murder occurred, rights activists complained the police was not laying hands on the culprits due to their political clout.

Addressing a press conference organised by the Joint Action Committee, Asad Iqbal Butt, provincial vice chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said the Sindh government should provide protection to the family’s other three daughters as the family was receiving threats by the main suspect and his henchmen.

The rights’ activists observed that cases of honour killings and abductions for the purpose of forcefully converting and marrying girls belonging to minority communities were rampant in Sindh because the government had time and again failed to bring perpetrators to book. 

Anis Haroon, member of the National Commission on Human Rights, Nasir Mansoor of the National Trade Union Federation, Shireen Aijaz of the HRCP, Niaz Khaskheli, a leader of the Pakistan Khaskheli Ittehad and other prominent activists also addressed the presser.

On September 16, chief justice of the Sindh High Court, Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, took suo moto notice of the girl’s killing.  The family of the teenage victim demanded justice from the government authorities and the high court and called for the immediate arrest of killers.

Tania’s family alleged that Khan Noohani, an influential feudal lord along with his armed associates, barged into their house and shot Tania dead because she refused his marriage proposal.

They alleged that the feudal lord had also twice tried to kidnap her. The family said that an FIR against Noohani, Maula Bukhsh and an unknown person was lodged at the Jhangara Bajara police station but the suspects were threatening them with dire consequences.

The family observed that the police was not arresting the accused due to their political influence. They appealed to the Sindh inspector general of police, AD Khowaja, and other higher authorities to provide them protection and justice, and immediately arrest the killers.