LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and a number of other party leaders including lawmakers visited MPA Nawab Sardar Khan Chandio and his brother Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio (former adviser to CM Murad Ali Shah) at their residences in Qambar and Gartal, respectively, to express solidarity with them over “a search of their houses by police”.

According to sources close to PPP lawmakers, the visits were paid on the directives of party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The alleged search on Thursday was carried out as part of a massive operation by police drawn from seven districts to apprehend two absconding accused — Zulfikar and Murtaza — in the Jan 17, 2018 murder of Baldai UC chairman Raees Karamullah Chandio and his two sons, Mukhtiar and Qabil. They were gunned down in an attack on their Mehar residence by a group of armed men allegedly at the behest of MPA Nawab Sardar Khan Chandio and Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio.

After expressing solidarity with the MPA and ex-adviser, Nisar Khuhro and Sohail Siyal held a press conference at the MPA’s residence in Qambar on Friday and termed the police operation led by Inspector General Mushtaq Mahar a “conspiracy”.

Police from seven districts continue search for two absconding accused on fourth day

They said the search of MPA’s residence was uncalled for, and Mr Siyal advised the IGP to “better investigate as to how the news of police operation was leaked to the social and mainstream electronic media”. He recalled that he was holding the portfolio of home minister when the attack took place.

Mr Khuhro pointed out that the police had failed to trace any of the suspects in the ongoing operation, adding that PPP had never supported killings and had been condemning the Mehar incident ever since it was carried out.

He claimed that names of unconcerned people were incorporated in the FIR. He also pointed out that police had kept the name of MPA Sardar Chandio, who was currently on bail, in column-2.

“Burhan Khan’s name was also entered in the FIR although he accompanied me ... in Badin to join a welcome rally for PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the day of the incident,” said Mr Khuhro, adding that it proved Burhan was not present in Mehar that day and this turned the FIR defective. He also recalled that police investigators had later removed his name from the FIR.

While court proceedings in the case were under way, police were “overstepping” to carry out raids on the houses of the MPA and his family members “which we strongly condemn”, he said.

Police without keeping proofs carried out raids to arrest the absconders and had to return empty handed, he said. “Such raids are insulting acts,” he said, and added that PPP had the right to raise its voice against such excesses.

The then home minister Sohail Siyal said police had conducted an impartial probe into the incident during his tenure. “We expect justice from Supreme Court”, he said, and the IGP to better investigate as to how the news of the police operation was leaked to the media.

On his part, MPA Sardar Chandio said “we are here to face courts and police”, and described the police action and inclusion of his and his brother’s names in the FIR as “part of a conspiracy”. He wondered how the news of the operation appeared in newspapers and social media a day before it was actually launched. He vowed to move court against “conspirators”.

“We don’t know where the absconding accused are hiding ... instead of going after them, police were busy conducting raids [on our houses] and thus becoming part of this drama. We know who is behind this drama,” he said.

MNA Rafiq Jamali, MPA Nazeer Ahmed Bughio, Ghanwar Khan Isran, former MNA Hizbullah Bughio and many local PPP leaders and activists were present in the press conference.

A strike was observed in Warah town and protest rallies were taken out by PPP activists and supporters as well as Chandio clansmen in several towns of Dadu and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts on Saturday against the police operation.

Protesters in Dadu marched up to the local press club to hold a demonstration.

Operation in full swing

The massive search operation launched on Wednesday in various areas of Dadu and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts to apprehend absconding accused Zulfikar and Murtaza continued on Saturday. Police parties carried out more raids at suspected hideouts in the mountainous areas of Khairpur Nathan Shah and Mehar but without any success.

IG Mahar himself had supervised the operation on Wednesday and Thursday for which he had set up a camp in Mehar on Wednesday.

Dadu SSP Dr Farrukh Raza Malik took command of the operation on Friday. He supervised the search operation in 15 villages on Saturday.

He told the media that the joint operation was being conducted by Dadu and Qambar-Shahdadkot police.

Separately, Umme Rubab Chandio, the daughter of Mukhtiar Chandio — one of the three victims of the Jan 17, 2018 attack — told the media that she hoped the police would succeeded in arresting the absconders in the ongoing operation. She said she would continue her struggle against the politically influential persons nominated in the FIR.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2020