LARKANA: The areas along Sindh’s border with Punjab and Balochistan in Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Kandhkot-Kashmore districts are prone to tribal disputes, which are mostly triggered by claims over land and ‘honour’. But their flames are deliberately kept burning by tribal chiefs to keep themselves relevant.

There was always a period of calm between bloody feuds but no one knew when they would flare up again, forcing people to live in constant fear and stress, said M. Pariyal Marri, district coordinator of Shikarpur chapter of the Pakistan Institute of Labour, Education and Research (Piler).

He said that local politicians and influential persons frequently used criminals to win elections. “I see religious fanatics and criminals mixed up in Shikarpur which has become a hub of criminals where presence of civil society is almost zero,” he said.

At present, there are active tribal feuds between Kakepota and Brohi, Qambrani and Marfani and Teghani and Bijarani in Shikarpur and Kashmore districts, Chachar and Sabzoi in Kashmore, Katohar and Jalbani and Bhutto and Khuhro in Larkana district.

The clashes have so far claimed 157 lives while there are 972 proclaimed offenders in the area who actively take part in the clashes. Major reasons behind the tribal feuds are conflicting claims over land, ‘honour’, petty domestic issues and vendetta, according to police.

In a gory incident on May 16 this year, Sabzoi tribesmen brutally gunned down nine members of a family of Chachars in Noor Khan Chachar village in Mehar. The motive behind the attack was theft of goats and sheep by some members of Chachar clan, according to police sources.

The Katohar-Jalbani dispute started in 2020 and claimed so far lives of 13 people on both sides. The bone of contention was, according to police, that Katohars were lending support to a Soomro family in a land dispute. Lately, chief of Jalbani clan Sardar Ali Jalbani led a ‘peace caravan’ to Katohars in Kashmore on May 23 and appealed to rivals to make peace. Subsequently, their dispute was resolved by a jirga held in Naudero on June 1, which was positive development, said Marri.

The Teghani-Bijarani dispute began in October 2012 and claimed 28 lives. The dispute was triggered by an attack by people of Teghani community on Bijaranis in riverine area of Garhi Tegho when a criminal, Nadir Teghani, herded away 80 buffaloes and was later killed.

Many attempts were made to make peace between the tribes but miscreants on both sides keep spoiling the peace efforts. However, on Jan 25, 2019, a jirga settled the dispute but unfortunately, Teghanis violated the terms of the settlement and reignited the feud, said sources in police.

In Shikarpur district, Kakepotos and Brohis are pitted against each other. Their dispute hit headlines in September 2013 when one Himath Ali Brohi was gunned down by Kakepotos to avenge a 25-year-old dispute. Since then the two tribes had been at daggers drawn with each other, said police.

The dispute had so far claimed 40 lives on both sides and 351 persons had been declared proclaimed offenders in 21 cases registered in the wake of clashes.

Tribal war between Qambranis and Marfanis began in 2005 over land. The dispute has claimed 45 lives and rendered 383 people on both sides proclaimed offenders in 31 cases. The dispute remained unresolved, and though it was silent now it might reignite at any moment, said police sources.

Bhuttos and Khuhros dispute started over ownership of land in Keti Mumtaz in 2012. It had so far claimed 22 lives on both sides and was silent now but no one knew when it would re-erupt.

Inspector Muzzamil Soomro, who survived attack on their armoured personnel carrier in which three policemen were martyred, told Dawn that weak defence by prosecution and the heavy fines policemen had to pay in jirgas for taking action against criminals had demoralised police force. The noose should be tightened around tribal chiefs’ necks to bring peace to the area, said another police officer who had served in the United Nations peacekeeping force.

Rahim Bakhsh Jafferi, a political activist, said that lack of development, economic activities, academic activities, communication network and effective policing in the riverine area provided conducive atmosphere for tribal clashes.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2021