HYDERABAD: The on-going Bhand-Zardari dispute over a piece of agricultural land took an ugly and violent turn when six men from the Bhand community, including a police inspector, lost their lives and 10 others wounded in an armed clash in the riverine area of Qazi Ahmed taluka of Shaheed Benazirabad district on Saturday.

The incident took place in deh Bhambhai near Nawab Ali Mohammad town.

The deceased were identified as Inspector Abdul Hameed Khoso, who was deputed at a police picket in the wake of the land controversy last year, Ayaz Bhand, Sher Mohammad, Saban Bhand, Ajmal Bhand and Mashooq Bhand.

The wounded were Ameen Bhand, Khadim Sangrah, Deedar Sangrah, Qadir Bux, Akhtar Bhand, Gulsher Bhand, Qurban Bhand, Mehmood Mahar. Two others could not be unidentified immediately.

The injured have been shifted to the Shaheed Benazirabad Civil Hospital after the incident was reported at around 3pm. A strong contingent of police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. The dispute involved around 800 acres of land and Zardaris have come up with documentation of 398 acres. Mustard crop is currently grown on the land.

The 800-acre piece of land is disputed between Bhand and Zardari communities of Shaheed Benazirabad district

Mohsin Zardari and Abid Zardari were leading their side in the dispute. A litigation is pending in the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, which was filed by Mashood Bhand and it was fixed for hearing on Feb 24.

Sindh United Party (SUP) leader Zain Shah along with representatives of the Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have blocked a section (N-5) of the National Highway near Nawab Wali Mohammad town against the attack. They were refusing to go for the burial of bodies until the last reports came in.

Zain Shah claimed that Zardaris attacked villagers and killed five members of the Bhand community. He said that deceased policeman was posted there ever since the disputed started and he also lost his life. “It is a riverine [katcha] area land but villagers have registered lease deeds to their lands as well,” he said. “The Zardaris occupied the land of Bhand community,” he alleged.

Zain Shah had led a sit-in on Dec 22 last year and then matter was privately settled by a prominent Pakistan Peoples Party leader and former minister Manzoor Panhwar. According to Zain Shah, Manzoor Panhwar had earlier settled the matter at a Jirga and asked the district administration to get the disputed land vacated but it was not done. He said that the mukhtiarkar concerned was supposed to manage the land but this was not ensured.

He said it was done only to force the Bhand community to surrender their land to Zardaris and leave the area. He also accused the area police of patronising the Zardari side.

Khamiso Khan Bhand, an elderly figure of the Bhand community, and Haji Khan Bhand accused Mohsin Zardari and Abid Zardari of leading the Saturday attack against Bhands. They added that Zardaris were not allowing them to cultivate their land. They said their case was pending adjudication in court yet the other side attacked them in order to loot standing mustard crop.

STP leader Nisar Keerio demanded arrests of all those involved in the attack.

STP chairman Dr Qadir Magsi alleged that Sindh government had become a party with the result that so many lives had been lost. He also alleged that the local administration was facilitating land grabbers.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2022