LARKANA, Sept 29: A complete strike was observed in Qambar town on Monday in protest against delay in arrest of the people accused of attacking Nurpur police post and killing five policemen including the SHO on Sept 22.

A number of tribesmen belonging to Jamali and Shahlyani tribes had reportedly stormed a police post in Nurpur area in the limits of Qambar-Shahdadkot district leading to exchange of fire between the policemen and tribesmen.

Nine people including the SHO of Imam Bakhsh Jamali police station and son of Shalyani tribal chief were killed and five were injured in firing.

Relatives of the three policemen Manthar Gopang, Mureed Metlo and Sajjad Chandio who were among the nine killed in the attack led the big procession in the town in protest against delay in arrest of the accused nominated in the FIR.

A large number of activists of political and social organisations also took part in the procession, which marched on the main roads of the town before assembling at Martyrs’ Square and staging a sit-in.

The protesters lamented that nobody had been arrested from among the accused nominated in the FIR even after a lapse of eight days and the chieftains of Balochistan were issuing them threats as they mourned the deaths of their loved ones. It was tantamount to adding salt to their wounds, they said.

They appealed to the chieftains of Balochistan to voluntarily hand over the accused wanted in the case as an expression of sharing their grief. They dismissed the Baloch tribal leaders’ demand for judicial inquiry into the incident and said that over 150 cases of heinous nature were registered against the four people including Akbar Shahlyani, son of Sardar Salah Shahlyani, who were killed in the ‘encounter’.

Sardar Salah Shahlyani alleged that Brohi policemen had targeted his son and his bodyguards while the DPO of Qambar-Shahdadkot disputed his claim and said that armed tribesmen attacked Nurpur police post without provocation and fired in defence.