DADU: Nawab Sardar Ahmed Chandio — a member of the Sindh Assembly and chieftain of the Chandio tribe living in Mehar taluka — appeared in the court of the first additional sessions judge of Dadu on Saturday in a triple murder case registered against him, his younger brother Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio (a former adviser to the Sindh chief minister) and others.

Nawab Burhan Chandio and three of the five accused nominated in the case — Ali Gohar Chandio, Sattar Chandio, and Sikandar Chandio — also accompanied MPA Chandio at the hearing. The remaining two, Murtaza and Zulfiqar, are still at large.

The case pertained to the Jan 17, 2018 murder of Baldai union council chairman Raees Karamullah Chandio and his two sons, then district council member Qabil Khan Chandio and Mukhtiar Chandio (who was heading an influential social organisation of the area Tamandar Council), in Ahmed Colony of Mehar town.

The case was registered at the Mehar police station on an order of the Sindh High Court as the police were not obliging complainant Pervaiz Ahmed Chandio.

During Saturday’s hearing, Advocate Salahuddin Panhwar appeared for the complainant and Advocates Asif Soomro and Athar Abbas Solangi for the defendants.

Baldai UC chairman and his two sons were gunned down in attack on their house on Jan 17, 2018

After hearing the two sides, the court adjourned the case till Oct 17.

In the FIR registered at the Mehar police station, the complainant has stated that the attack had been carried out at the behest of Nawab Sardar Chandio and Nawab Burhan Chandio.

During the hearing of the case, a strong contingent of police assisted by Rangers personnel was deployed at and around the court to avert any untoward incident.

Speaking to local reporters, Mukhtiar Chandio’s daughter Umme Rubab said she had been facing serious threats ever since she started actively pursuing the case. She said her grandfather, father and uncle were murdered in the attack on their house in Ahmed Colony, Mehar, by a group of armed men. She recalled that one of the attackers was killed in the retaliatory fire from the inmates.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2020