NAWABSHAH: The A-Section police of Nawabshah on Monday registered an FIR (No. 266/2020) against six suspects on behalf of the state and arrested five of them for harassing former Sindh law minister Zia Lanjar by resorting to firing outside his residence and also on a police mobile van causing damage to it.

ASI Ghulam Abbas Gaddi lodged the complaint against Zulfiqar, Zahid, Zameer Ahmed and Sher Khan — all belonging to the Zardari community — and their two unknown companions under sections 324, 353, 427, 337 H-II, 506/2, 504, 147, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

The ASI stated that he and other members of police party were on routine patrolling on Qazi Ahmed Road on Sunday when at around 10.30pm they heard the sound of gunfire. He said the police party rushed to the spot, outside Lanjar House, and saw the six suspects firing in the air and causing panic and harassment in the locality.

The complainant further stated that he and his colleagues heard the suspects shouting; they were challenging Ziaul Hasan Lanjar to “come out and meet your fate or we bulldoze your house”. He said the police party recognised four of them, adding that their unknown companions were armed with a pistol and a Kalashnikov.

“When we tried to arrest Zulfiqar Zardari, he opened fire on us but missed the target. However, our mobile van was hit,” he said.

The suspect kept firing for some time and then sped away, he stated in the FIR, and added that the police party chased them in the locality and nabbed one of them.

Later DSP Mubin Ahmed Parhyar told the media that four other suspects were also arrested and a hunt for the sixth one was on.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2020