THATTA: Shafi Mohammed Karnani, the chief of his own faction of the Jeay Sindh Tehreek and a close aide to veteran nationalist leader G.M. Syed, was shot dead by two masked assailants riding a motorcycle at Makli bypass on Wednesday afternoon. He was on his way to his farms on the outskirts of Thatta city when intercepted by the attackers.

Onlookers said that the two masked bike-riders pumped bullets into Mr Karnani’s body and sped away. Sources said that the victim was rushed to the Makli Civil Hospital by passers-by but he died at the entrance.

Medico-legal officer Dr Yousuf Memon and Dr Mumtaz Chauhan, who performed the post-mortem examination, told Dawn that the victim sustained several bullets fired with a 12-bore repeater gun from a close range.

Police have reportedly collected three spent bullet casings from the crime scene.

Sources within the police believed that it was a ‘targeted’ attack.

Several hundreds activists and supporters of various political parties and nationalist groups, besides other people, gathered at the hospital as the news of the attack on Mr Karnani spread across Thatta and Sujawal districts like a wildfire. Other districts of Sindh also received the news of his death with shock and grief.

Thatta SSP Fida Hussain Mastoi, when contacted for his comment, said it would be premature to say anything about who the attackers were. He said measures had been taken to deal with an unpleasant situation that might arise in reaction to the killing.

Mr Karnani commanded great respect and influence in Sindh due to his close association with the highly respected founder of the JST, G.M. Syed, in the early days of the party. He was regarded as a diehard JST activist and committed Sindhi nationalist. He was also known across Sindh for his role in settling disputes between tribes, communities and individuals through jirgas as he had the quality required to persuade feudal lords and other influential figures to preside jirgas. Being an exceptionally good negotiator and acceptable to all within the JST, he put in his best efforts to reunite JST factions. However, his efforts ended up in his own joining of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM). He remained a close associate of JSQM chairman Bashir Khan Qureshi for long and also maintained good relations with Abdul Wahid Arisar, who later headed his breakaway JSQM group.

A few years back, he formed his own JST faction known as JST-Karnani.

Dadu shut over killing

DADU: As soon as the news of Shafi Karnani’s killing reached Dadu, traders and shopkeepers started closing down their businesses to mourn his death.

Activists and supporters of the JSQM and its Arisar and Safdar factions as well as those of the Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz (JSM-R) and other nationalist groups took to the streets in protest and demanded arrest of the killers.

Police sprang in action and started patrolling the town to avert violence.

No untoward incident was reported till late in the evening.

Sindh United Party (SUP) chairman Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah, who is the grandson of G.M. Syed, expressed his shock over Mr Karnani’s killing and urged the government to take prompt and appropriate measures for the arrest his killers.

JSM-R chief Riaz Chandio condemned the killing and described Mr Karnani as a brave nationalist leader whose services for Sindh and Sindhi people could never be forgotten.

Rallies against the killing were also taken out in Sann, Johi, Mehar and several other towns of the the district.

He noted that Mr Karnani’s killing took place just a day before the fourth death anniversary of JSQM founder leader Bashir Qureshi. “It is part of a conspiracy against Sindhi nationalists,” he added.

Other Sindh-based leaders including Aslam Azad Panhwar, Dilber Sindhi and Manzoor Arisar also condemned Mr Karnani’s killing.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016