RAHIM YAR KHAN: The ringleader of Lathani Gang, Shabbir Lathani, offered negotiations to police if “fake encounters” are stopped, and rejected the claims that there were terrorists, dacoits and “enemies of the country” in the Katcha area, saying poverty and tribal feuds are the actual issues plaguing the area and could be resolved through mediation.

In a fresh video message uploaded on social media, Lathani claimed there were neither terrorists, nor dacoits in the area.

He said he and other members of his gang belonged to the Mazari tribe and their clan was led by their elder Nawab Sukhani.

He said all the cases registered against him and Qabil Sukhani were the result of internal tribal conflicts.

Seeks mediation to resolve ‘tribal feuds’

He added that many “false” FIRs had been registered against him and his brother Mira Lathani.

He said that in 2016 when the operation was initiated against Choutoo Gang, they were in Sindh and had met with officers of police andintelligence agencies at Dera Morr, along with Sardar Sakhi Sultan Shar. He claimed that in the meeting they had offered to surrender on the condition of withdrawal of cases and mediation to end the tribal feuds.

Shabbir Lathani, in the message, denied there were any militants in the Katcha area belonging to the banned Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or nay other terrorist group, as being claimed by police.

Lathani alleged that police burnt his house, along with those of Mira and Qabil Sukhani.

He said they and their children should not be dragged into “election politics.”

He appealed to tribal leader and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf formed MNA, Sardar Riaz Mehmood Khan Mazari, son of Sarda Balakh Sher Mazari, to not to portray the “unrest” in the Katcha area as a law and order issue.

He said there was crime in the Katcha area due to poverty, hunger and tribal quarrels and that mediation between tribal people could help solve the problem and restore peace there.

He said peace could be restored in the area through provision of electricity and construction of schools and roads, regretting that ex-MNA Riaz Mazari never demanded a school for the area despite being a parliamentarian.

He alleged that after he and other tribesmen held a meeting with South Punjab additional IG to resolve the issue a few years back, a station house officer got them imprisoned for three years in “false cases”.

He said neither he, nor other tribesmen were the enemy of police, rangers or forces.

Lathani said police operation was not the solution of the problem in Katcha area. “We are ready for negotiations with police, but not when police are killing our men in fake encounters after registering a single FIR against them,” he said, adding that how a man nominated in 10 “fake” FIRs could surrender.

Meanwhile, according to police dacoits kidnapped a worker employed at a hotel in Mureed Shakh area on Sunday night after firing on the car of the eatery owner.

As per police, some dacoits arrived at a hotel owned by one Ghulam Sarwar Mirani on Sadiqabad-Guddu road near Murid Shahkh and kidnapped a worker, Behram Kosh.

The dacoits also damaged the car of the hotel owner, Mirani, by firing at it and fled away. The owner remained safe.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023