Daily Times

SHIKARPUR: Three more injured of deadly dispute, took place beside Pir Dost Muhammad Shah area between two rival groups of Saad Khanani Jatoi and Badani Jatoi, succumbed to their injuries in different hospitals and death toll reached at 15, in the limits of Faizo Police Station, around 50 kilometers away from, here on Tuesday.

A big police contingent led by Sajjad Ameer, the SSP Kambar-Shahdadkot, who was also holding the acting charge of SSP Shikarpur, cordoned off the Katcha area of Pir Dost Muhammad and 10-mile areas of Khanpur town where two rival groups of Saad Khanani Jatoi and Badani Jatoi tribesmen launched rocket launchers and opened indiscriminate firing on each other with automatic weapons, which resulting, as many as 12 villagers, among two women and a road passerby baby girl, both of the sides lost their lives, and left a dozen injured in bloody dispute took place, on Monday early in the morning, which deadly dispute was remained continue 13 hours there.

According to an official, acting SSP Sajjad Ameer, along with heavy contingent of police and Rangers, consisting over 60 police mobiles, 08 Rangers mobile, 06 armored Personnel Carrier [APCs] vehicle cordoned off the area and initiated search operation against murderers and police have succeeded in arresting at least 15 suspected criminals from there and seized 02 Kalashnikovs, 02 shot guns, 02 TT Pistols and a large number of bullets recovered from their possession while search operation was still continued, informed Ali Baig Bijarani, an official of police.

Those killed, belonging to Saad Khanani Jatoi group, were identified as Kashmoir, Mataro, Ghulam Sarwar, Kandero, Muhammad Soomar, Atta Muhammad, Hazaroo all of by caste Jatoi while those killed, belonging to Badani Jatoi group, were identified as Ms Sadori wife of Nawaz, Miss Razia, aged 13, Nazal, Hamal, one road passerby baby girl identified as Naila, aged 08, were killed on the spot while Islamuddin aka Yashallah, Abdul Majeed and Dur Muhammad Jatoi succumbed to their injuries at different hospitals.

Also, those injured, both the parties, were named as Shah Dost, Ali Gul, Shah Bakhsh, Goro Jatoi and others while three road passers including Razul, Ms Hakimzadi, Rajab Magsi were received bullet injuries during exchange of fire.

Both the groups freely used Rocket launchers and automatic weapons on each other due to which area was turned into battle filed on Monday.

The motive behind the incident was said to be an old running dispute it had started between two groups of Saad Khanani Jatoi and Badani Jatoi tribesmen before two persons belonging to Saad Khanani Jatoi killed in police shoot out took place on 08-01-2015 and Saad Khanani Jatoi accused to Badani Jatoi tribesmen for sharing spy information with police and 28 killed so far in deadly clash.

The Chief Minister [CM] Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and Home Minister Sindh Suhail Anwar Siyal took notice of deadly dispute of Khanpur firing and directed to Deputy Inspector General [DIG] Police Larkana to furnish detailed report pertaining bloody incident of firing.

The area police transported the dead bodies to Taluka Hospital Khanpur and Civil Hospital Shikarpur for post-mortem and handed over to their women heirs after conducting necessary medical formalities. According to local sources, the funeral prayers of deceased were offered under the shadow of weapons.

Published in Daily Times, July 5^th , 2017.