DADU: Two MPAs of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Nawab Sardar Chandio and his younger brother Nawab Burhan Chandio, former adviser to Sindh chief minister, were indicted by a model criminal trial court here on Saturday in the much-hyped case of the triple murder of a union council chairman and his sons in an armed attack on their residence in Mehar town four years ago.

As the judge announced the indictment the MPA brothers pleaded not guilty.

The two were beside five other suspects identified as Ali Gohar, Sattar, Sikandar, Murtaza and Zulfiqar, who were nominated as accused in the murder of Raees Karamullah Chandio, the then chairman of the Baldai union council of Mehar taluka, his sons Mukhtiar Chandio, chairman of Tamandar council, and Qabil Chandio, member of Zila council.

They were gunned down when a group of armed men attacked their residence in Ahmed Colony, Mehar, on Jan 17, 2018. One of the assailants also died in retaliatory fire by the inmates.

Chandio brothers plead not guilty as court summons witnesses to record their testimonies on Dec 3

The bereaved family, which was also associated with the PPP, believed that the attack was carried out at the behest of Sardar Chandio, who was also chieftain of his tribe in Mehar, and his younger brother Burhan, the then aide to the Sindh chief minister.

Pervaiz Chandio, a surviving son of late Karamullah, lodged an FIR at Mehar police station and nominated the suspects, accusing the two influential brothers of complicity in the attack on their residence and the murder of his close relatives.

The MPAs apparently used their clout later and had the police exclude their names from the FIR after ‘investigation’. Their names were however reinserted in the case only after advocate Umme Rubab Chandio, daughter of late Mukhtiar Chandio, submitted a complaint in this regard to the court.

Umme Rubab had accused the MPAs of killing her father, uncle and grandfather in the armed attack.

The court has summoned witnesses to have their testimonies recorded on the next hearing on Dec 3 to proceed against the indicted lawmakers.

“We have recorded our statements before the court,” said Sardar Chandio after the indictment. They would plead their case on the next hearing, he said.

Umme Rubab said that charges had finally been framed against the killers, including the two MPAs of the ruling PPP. “She has complete trust in court and believes the accused will be punished according to law and justice will be administered to her and her family,” she said.

She said that she and her relatives had been receiving threats of dire consequences since the day they had lodged the case but she was no longer afraid of any tribal chief and his men and would stand her ground till she got justice.

Sardar Chandio insisted that he and his brother were innocent. Their names had been implicated in the FIR by Umme Rubab without any proof and eyewitness accounts despite the fact that police investigation had declared they were not involved in the murders, he said.

Security had been tightened around the court during the hearing to avert any untoward incident.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2022