The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed Inspector General of Sindh Police A.D. Khawaja to provide protection to the parents of Tania Khaskheli, a 19-year-old who was allegedly murdered by an influential landlord in Jhangara-Bajara town near Sehwan on September 10.

The SHC chief justice directed IGP Khawaja to personally monitor investigations into the murder case.

The SHC, which had taken notice of the murder, issued instructions to Khawaja after Senior Superintendent of Police Jamshoro Irfan Bahadur submitted a report before the court.

Earlier on Tuesday, the two accused in the murder case were remanded to police custody for seven days by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Hyderabad.

Khan Noohani and his henchman, Maula Bukhsh Noohani, were produced before the ATC by the police for a remand hearing after section 6/7 of the Anti Terrorism Act 1997 was inserted in the first information report filed against them by Tania's father, Ghulam Qadir Khaskheli.

Last Saturday — according to Tania's father — an influential wadera (feudal lord) of Jhangara Bajara town, Khan, along with his armed associates, had barged into the family's house and shot Tania dead.

The girl’s parents claimed that Khan had been pressing them to marry Tania to him, but they had turned down the proposal. They alleged that Khan had twice tried to kidnap the girl in the recent past.

On Saturday evening, they said, Khan, along with Maula Bukhsh and an unknown person, barged into their house and attempted to intimidate them with their weapons. They alleged that the armed men tried to take the girl away, but on strong resistance put up by the family, Khan got furious and shot dead Tania.

A few days ago, Maula Bukhsh was picked up by the police while Khan was arrested on Monday night.