SUKKUR: An armed attack on a motorcycle showroom, believed to be wrong target, that left a youth dead and three passersby criticially wounded on Saturday evening sparked protest by political parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations in Kandhkot on Sunday.

Unknown attackers riding several two-wheelers drove into motorcycle market near old Sabzi Mandi in the city and opened an indiscriminate fire with Kalashnikov rifles killing the youth, Niaz Ahmed Bajkani, a BA student, and seriously wounding three passersby, Yar Mohammad Bhangwar, Hubdar Mirani and Deen Mohammad Lashari. The assailants fled the area after committing the crime and leaving the locality gripped in fear and panic.

The A-Section police said Bajkani died on the spot and the wounded victims were transported to the Kandhkot Civil Hospital for emergency treatment. Later, they said, Bhangwar was referred to a Rahim Yar Khan hospital and Mirani to the Sukkur Civil Hospital due to their critical condition.The incident sparked protest by residents of several localities in Kandhkot. It continued till the body of Bajkani was handed over to the heirs.

On Sunday, a state of mourning prevailed in the localities dominated by the Bajkani community.

Speaking to local reporters, Mujeebur Rehman, the brother of the deceased, and his close relative, Ghulam Abbas Bajkani, claimed that the assailants belonged to the Sabzoi community who had an old enmity with some people belonging to the Bajkani community.

They said the area police had completely failed to stop bloodshed at the hands of the rival families. They deplored that innocent people from both communities who had nothing to do with the rival families were being attacked, killed and wounded without any justification.

They argued that it was responsibility of the area police to ensure safety and security of citizens but they had failed to maintain law and order in the city.

They urged the Sindh government, provincial police chief and other senior officials to get the assailants arrested and bring an end to tribal hostilities in the area.

On their part, the A-Section police also attributed the attack to the Bajkani-Sabzoi hostility.

Meanwhile, local leaders and activists of various political parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations including Sindh United Party (SUP), Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), took out a rally against failure of the police to contain bloodshed in the name of tribal enmity in Kandhkot-Kashmore district.

A large number of people led by Kandhkot District Bar Association president Abdul Ghani Bijarani, started their protest march from Clock Tower and reached the local press club, where they held a demonstration.

According to reports reaching here in the evening, an FIR of the Saturday firing incident was registered at the A-Section police station of Kandhkot on the complaint of Mujeebur Rehman against Illahi Bux aka Dado Sabzoi, Punhal, Bashir, Jam Abdul Rehman, Ghulam Hyder, Sarwar and two unknown suspects.

Speaking to them, the Mr Bijarani strongly criticised the police for not fulfilling their responsibility of maintaining law and order in the district. Amid slogans against police, he demanded arrest of anyone resorting to attacks at the behest of rival communities and thus encouraging bloodshed. He also called for immediate arrest of the assailants involved in the Saturday incident. The leaders while addressing on the occasion said that the alleged armed criminals without any fear opened indiscriminate fire with automatic weapons in the city and killed a youth student while injured other passerby citizens but police could not take any action in this regard.

He regretted that killers belonging to various communities were roaming freely despite being identified by aggrieved families. He urged the authorities concerned to take appropriate measures towards bringing an end to the tribal/community feuds that had already claimed a lot of lives. He suggested launch of an operation against armed tribal/community groups on the pattern of well-planned operations against criminals having their hideouts in the katcha areas of Sindh.

The police said they had picked up five suspects during raids on different suspected hideouts of the nominated suspects. The raids, they said, were carried out in katcha area on the outskirts of Kandhkot.

MNA Mir Ahsanur Rehman Mazari, MPA Mir Abid Khan Sundrani and local leaders of various political, nationalist and civil society organisations visited the family members of Niaz Bajkani to condole his death and assure them of justice to be restored to them at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2020