HYDERABAD: Heirs of Sindh National Tehreek (SNT) leader Ashraf Noonari, who was found dead outside his crashed car off Tando Mohammad Khan-Ganju Takkar link road, have expressed their strong doubts over his death in the accident.

According to initial reports, Noonari was returning home, located in Malang Khan Noonari village, after attending a wedding in the Habib Farm area when his car met with the accident.

His body was found lying on the ground close the car, which was badly damaged after falling into a roadside ditch near Adal Noonari village along the link road.

Residents of a nearby village and SHO Ghulam Farooq Rahupoto of the Husri police station rushed to the accident cite upon receiving information about the accident. The body was taken to the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) in Hyderabad where a post-mortem examination was performed by medico-legal officer (MLO) Dr Baldev.

SNT leaders Lala Qurban Sodho and Dr Uzma Jokhio along with activists and various nationalist groups visited the hospital on Friday noon when the body was handed over to the heirs.

Speaking to the media at the hospital, Noonari’s son Kamran and cousin Gul Hassan expressed their strong doubts over his accidental death. Kamran said his father always informed the family if he was not returning home till dark but there was no information from him till late on Thursday. He said the family received the report on Friday morning about the accident.

He said that circumstantial evidence hinted that his father might have been murdered. In this regard, he pointed out that strange marks of injuries were visible on his head.

Noonari’s other cousin, Asadullah, pointed out that the body was found lying close to the wheel of his car while his coat underneath the tyre. He said an iron rod was also found at some distance from the car. As Noonari was alone and driving the car himself, his body would have been in the driver’s seat had it been a car crash. These factors created doubts about the death having been caused by the accident, he added.

Noonari’s relatives called for a proper investigation into his death.

Husri SHO Rahupoto said that the police had received the information about the car crash at around 7am. He said the police went to the specified place where a large number of people were present and some of them recognised the man lying dead close to the car, that had plunged into the roadside ditch and badly damaged.

MLO Dr Baldev said citing the external examination of the body said that the bone of skull was broken which caused his death.

No FIR of the incident was registered till late Friday. Hyderabad SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz said that the family had not approached police yet to lodge a murder FIR although they expressed such apprehensions while speaking to the media.

A pall of gloom hung over Malang Khan Noonari village when Noonari’s body was transported to his residence. He was laid to rest in a graveyard near Ganju Takkar. The deceased leader has left a wife, six sons and a daughter. SNT has announced a 40-day mourning over his death.

Ashraf Noonari had been associated with the Sindh National Party (SNP) – currently headed by Ameer Bhambhro – in the past but he left it due to his serious differences with the leadership. He later founded the SNT and led it till his death.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2019