July 16, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 12, 1429

THATTA, July 15: Police on Tuesday registered counter FIRs against 30 people on the charge of being involved in an armed clash claiming lives of three on Sunday.

Two groups Moondha and Bikak had clashed over the ownership of a land near Makli Charhi.

Those booked include, former adviser to the CM Aijaz Shah Shirazi, his two sons, PML-Q MNA Ayaz Shah Shirazi, former District Game Warden Syed Riaz Shah, Nazim Makli Union Council Syed Fida Shah and 24 others.

Police claimed of recovering a rifle, a repeater, a TT pistol, two 7MM rifles from Bikak tribesmen and arresting Ghulam Nabi, Abdul Hafiz, Lakhano and Qadir Bux Bikak.

Police also recovered two single barrel guns during a raid conducted on the farm of their rival in Saeedpur — the native village of district nazim Thatta, Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi and arrested three villagers — all peasants of Shirazis namely Mohammad Amro, Alam Bhambhro and Qadir Babu.

Riads had been intensified to arrest Zafar Bikak, Mumtaz, Pyar Ali, Irfan, Sarfaraz and others nominated in the FIR lodged by the complainant of Ghafoor Moondho while a massive hunt launched against Shirazis and Moondha community members following registration of FIR on the complaint of Zafar Bikak.

Head of Shirazi group had alleged the SP Investigation Thatta Khalid Mustafa Korai, a former chief of SPSF, for implicating Shirazis.

Moondhas complained Bikaks of using the influence of Bilal Shaikh, son-in-law of a member of their community who is chief security guard of PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali, against them.

Thatta District Nazim Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi told reporters that police had implicated the innocent and unconcerned people in fabricated FIR. Police, he alleged, ransacked his farm house, tortured peasants and escorted them away.

Meanwhile sympathizers of Shirazi group in Thatta had called strike on Wednesday in protest against registration of FIRs.