LARKANA: The mother of five-year-old Fozia aka Sindhu Soomro, who was strangled to death after criminal assault in Yar Mohammad Kalhoro Colony in December 2014, pardoned her daughter’s tormentors on Wednesday night.

Carrying the Quran, family members of the accused Sajjad Jatoi, Sherdil Jatoi, Gul Shah and others called on the aggrieved mother Begum Khatoon and appealed for pardon in the name of God. The mother relented and forgave them all unconditionally.

On Thursday, three accused Arbilo Jatoi, Suhaib Jatoi and Niaz Jatoi were brought to an antiterrorism court where the mother and two witnesses Allahdino aka Manthar Soomro and Abdul Karim Soomro recorded their statements, refusing to recognise the accused. The case was then adjourned to June 13.

Fozia was strangled to death after criminal assault and buried under a heap of bricks in an abandoned house.

The case hit the headlines when the Sindh High Court’s Larkana circuit bench on Dec 29 took suo motu notice of the brutality after which police picked up the suspects who lived in the same locality and booked them under Sections 302, 34, 201, 376 sub-section 2 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The division bench comprising Justices Ahmed Ali Shaikh and Abdul Maalik Gaddi which had heard the case on Jan 1, 2015, said in its order that the DIG and the SSP of Larkana had assured the court that they would personally supervise the investigation of the case.

Later, the case was moved to an antiterrorism court and the accused were put behind bars.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2015

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