Rights activists call for impartial inquiry into triple murder in Dadu

Civil society activists have asked the Supreme Court to take notice of last week’s clash in Dadu district that left four people, including two local government representatives, dead.

Expressing concerns over police’s alleged reluctance to involve a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker in the investigation, they also called for the Sindh police chief to form an impartial enquiry committee.

Baladi union council chairman Karamullah Chandio, his sons Mukhtiar Chandio, a tribal elder, and Qabil Chandio, a district councillor, and Ghulam Qadir Chandio, alias Qadu, from the rival party were killed in the January 17 clash between two groups of Chandio tribesmen in Mehar town.

On Thursday Mukhtiar’s son Sada Hussain Chandio, who is a police officer, and rights activists claimed before the media that PPP MPA Sardar Khan Chandio and his younger brother Burhan Khan Chandio, the chief minister’s former adviser, were responsible for the incident.

“Police did not come to save my relatives, even though the attack occurred in Ahmed Colony, close to the DSP’s office and a police station,” said Sada.

He said MPA Sardar, the Chandio tribe’s chieftain, was angry with his father Mukhtiar because he, as a social activist, was politically educating people and campaigning for the locals’ rights.

Sardar, Burhan and five others have been nominated in an FIR registered on the complaint of Mukhtiar’s brother Pervaiz Chandio. However, Sada claimed that police were reluctant to involve the serving MPA and his brother in the case, mainly because of their affiliation with the ruling party.

Expressing solidarity with the protesters seeking justice for Naseemullah, alias Naqeeb Mehsud, who was killed in an alleged encounter in Karachi on January 13, Sada said that more Naqeebs had been murdered in Dadu by tribal chieftains.

Dissatisfied with the police investigation and demanding a judicial inquiry, Sada claimed that the Dadu clash case had been transferred to Hyderabad, where DIG Javed Alam Odho, himself a tribal chieftain, was influencing the case in favour of Sardar and his brother, trying to remove the terrorism charges from the FIR.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Vice-chairman Asad Iqbal Butt said Mukhtiar was killed because of his campaigning against feudalism and for the locals’ rights. “Hundreds of people have been killed in tribal clashes in Sindh and it is because of the existence of feudalism in the province.”

Rights activist Jibran Nasir, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research Executive Director Karamat Ali, social activist Shireen Ijaz and tribal elder Manzoor Khan Marfani were also present on the occasion. On Wednesday a large number of civil society activists across the province organised protests and Mehar town’s residents staged a sit-in against the Dadu clash. Rights activists Jami Chandio, Dr Ashothama Lohana and Punhal Sario also participated in the demonstrations.