DADU: The names of MPA Nawab Sardar Ahmed Chandio and his younger brother Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio were struck down from the FIR of the Jan 17 armed attack on the house of Raees Karamullah Chandio, the chairman of Baldai union council, in which he and his two sons, Mukhtiar and Qabil (a district council member) were killed.

The FIR was registered after great efforts by the bereaved family as both the victims and suspects belonged to the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Mehar police and Dadu district police appeared reluctant to arrest the MPA and his brother, being the prime suspects nominated in the FIR along with five other relatives of both families.

After behind-the-scenes manoeuvring within the police department as well as party ranks, the case investigation was handed over to the Hyderabad district police from Dadu police several days after the incident, which had taken place in the Ahmed Colony locality of Mehar town.

MPA Sardar Chandio is the chieftain of his tribe in Mehar taluka and Burhan Chandio is a former adviser to the Sindh chief minister. The other suspects nominated in the FIR are Zulfiqar, Ali Gohar, Murtaza, Sikandar and Qadur alias Qadu.

Qadu was killed during the same attack in what was stated to be firing in self-defence by inmates of the house. Ali Gohar and Sikandar were arrested during the course of the investigation while the remaining suspects have been at large so far.

The investigation officer (IO) of the case struck down the names of Sardar Chandio and Burhan Chandio under Sections 497 and 169 of the Criminal Procedure Code from the FIR on Saturday for want of evidence.

The charge sheet submitted on Saturday in the Naushahro Feroze Anti-Terrorism Court by the IO carried the names of the remaining suspects. It shows Ali Gohar and Sikandar being under custody and Murtaza and Zulfiqar absconders.

The Hyderabad police handed over the arrested suspects to the Dadu district police.

Separately, the ATC confirmed the bail of MPA Sardar Chandio and Burhan Chandio in the case and fixed the matter for March 3.

A second FIR, lodged by slain suspect Qadu Chandio’s wife, Bibi Chandio, against the deceased UC chairman Karamullah Chandio and his family members — Pervaiz Ahmed s/o Karamullah, Sadam Hussain, son of (deceased) Mukhtiar and Aijaz Ali and Manzoor, sons of Gul Hassan Chandio — was also quashed as the IO declared it “based on false allegations”.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2018