SUKKUR: A strong contingent of police and Rangers personnel rushed to the Govt Girls High School, Azizabad, in Qureshi Goth within the Old Sukkur area on Thursday to rescue its teachers and students after receiving reports of an attack by an unruly band of Khoso community members.

However, the band, armed with clubs and hatchets, had escaped before the force reached the school. Raids on the houses of the suspects were carried out in the nearby locality but none of them could be arrested.

The group had already attacked the headmaster, Atiqur Rehman, who was seriously injured and later admitted to the Sukkur Civil Hospital.

He told the police that one of the teachers at the school, Asadullah Qureshi, had had a heated argument with a rickshaw driver, Ghulam Shabbir Khoso, who was often found teasing schoolgirls, on Wednesday.

Mr Rehman said Khoso along with a large group of his community members armed with clubs and hatchets stormed the school on Thursday causing a great deal of panic and harassment to the teachers and students present inside.

Fearing something horrible, the teachers and students locked themselves in their classrooms, he said, adding that the intruders attacked and seriously injured him.

Area residents identified those who led the attack as Sohnu Khoso, his sons and other relatives, who have since disappeared.

Rangers picked up four suspects for interrogation. A case was registered at the SITE police station under the relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act against them and their unknown associates.

Some of the Khoso community members later told the media that the attack was carried out over complaints that the teaching staff were abusing schoolgirls.

Jirga settles land dispute

The Pir of Bharchundi Sharif, Mian Abdul Khalique, presided over a jirga (tribal court) at Jakhrani House in Kashmore late on Wednesday night to settle a two-year-old land dispute between the Jakhrani and Khoso communities of the area.

Several people were killed and wounded in the attacks involving members of the two communities over the period.

The jirga was attended by notables of the area, including Gul Mohammed Jakhrani, Sardar Ahmed Ali Bhangwar, Sakhi Mithal Khan Jakhrani, Mir Ghalib Hussain Domki and Dildar Jakhrani, besides a large number of the people belonging to the two communities. The two sides pleaded their respective cases during the jirga deliberations.

In his ruling, the Pir of Bharchundi imposed a fine/compensation of Rs2.87 million at the rate of Rs1 million for each murder and Rs50,000 for causing injury to each person.

The jirga also ruled that the two sides would have an equal share in the disputed property.

Accepting the ruling, elders of the two communities hugged each other and declared an end to their hostility.

Youth dies on wedding day

An 18-year-old groom died after falling off the tractor-driven trolley that was transporting his wedding party from Azeem Behalkani village to Arbab Behalkani village in Kandhkot-Kashmore district on Thursday.

According to the family members and relatives accompanying him, Munir Behalkani fell off the trolley when it suffered a heavy jerk while passing through an uneven track.

He died on the spot, they said, adding that the Nikah was scheduled for later in the evening.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2016