KARACHI: The Sindh government on Monday has agreed to launch a grand operation against criminals in Shikarpur’s katcha area with the assistance of military and Rangers.

This was revealed by Sindh Minister for Mines and Minerals Mir Shabbir Bijarani in a statement.

“The military troops and Rangers personnel will launch an operation against bandits in katcha area along with the Sindh police,” the statement said.

The minister said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had granted permission for the military operation against criminal gangs in the katcha area of Shikarpur.

He said dacoits possessed modern weapons while Sindh police had traditional weapons.

Regarding Sunday’s police operation in which two policemen were martyred along with a private photographer and a private security guard in Shikarpur, the minister said it was an unplanned operation. An investigation would be held and the Shikarpur SSP might be named to head the probe team, he said.

Our staff correspondent Mohammad Hussain Khan in Hyderabad adds: The Shikarpur police have not been able to recover the bodies of the dacoits they had claimed to have killed in Garhi Tegho, in the Khanpur area of Shikarpur district during the operation.

Police authorities have vowed to continue their operation against dacoits, especially in the wake of the arrest of Sardar Tegho Khan Teghani in Karachi on Monday.

The Shikarpur police have registered a case under anti-terrorism act against dacoits as well as Sardar Teghani for patronising them.

Police authorities including Sukkur region AIG Dr Kamran Fazal, Larkana DIG Nasir Aftab and Shikarpur SSP Saud Magsi had on Sunday night claimed that eight dacoits had been killed and some outlaws were arrested during and after the operation. However, their identities were not disclosed. In the relevant FIR, 59 suspects, including 36 notorious dacoits, have been nominated.

On Saturday police had tried to recover some kidnapped persons including Naqeebullah Pathan and Inayat Pathan through mediation, according to police sources. A police source claimed that police had used a sub-inspector, Abdul Qadir Chandio, in this regard to seek release of the hostages. But dacoits attacked the police party leading to the casualties.

Two policemen, Munawwar Jatoi and Abdul Khaliq Soomro and a private photographer, Haseeb Sheikh, lost their lives. An unconfirmed report from Shikarpur had suggested that a private security guard (whose identity could not be ascertained) of SHO Muzamil Soomro, was also killed. Soomro himself received injuries in shootout. The deceased were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyards.

Former MNA Dr Ibrahim Jatoi, former minister Abid Jatoi, and PTI Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh visited deceased policeman Munawwar Jatoi’s heirs to condole his death. They also condoled the death of Haseeb Sheikh.

On Sunday, police were able to get their armoured personnel carrier (APC) back from dacoits only after mediation.

Dacoits, after firing a rocket on the APC, had let two policemen go after unarming them of their official guns and bulletproof jackets.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2021