LAKKI MARWAT: Eleven members of a family, including minor children, were found dead in their house in Shaikh Niazi Koorna Takhtikhel area here on Wednesday.

A police official told Dawn that the deceased, including two brothers, their two wives and their six children, appeared to be poisoned and tortured to death two or three days ago.

He said the police shifted the bodies to the hospital for postmortem to ascertain the actual cause of death.

The official said the deceased included Sardraz Tabedar, a son of Sardraz, his wife Saudana Bibi, daughters Muzlefa and Basreena Bibi and sons Allah Noor and Abdul Rahim, as well as Amaldar, another son of Sardraz, his wife Guldana, son Amirullah and daughters Naifa and Noorbana.

Tabedar’s uncle Umer Gul, 67, told police that he lived near the house of his nephews and went there on Wednesday morning to find their bedrooms locked from outside.

They were apparently poisoned, tortured to death two or three days ago, insist police

He added that he broke the door of Tabedar’s room and found him along with his wife and children to be lying in a pool of blood.

Mr Gul said Amaldar and his wife and children were also murdered in their room.

“I called relatives and villagers and shifted bodies to a hospital in Serai Naurang town,” he said.

The resident said Amaldar’s daughter Chamti was married to the son of Saddar Khan, a resident of Madakhel area in North Waziristan tribal district, who currently lived in Ghoriwala town of Bannu district.

He claimed that Saddar Khan spent a night at the house of Amaldar a few days ago.

“Saddar Khan is behind the murders as he and he and his son were displeased with Chamti Bibi,” he said.

A local resident told Dawn on condition of anonymity that all 11 people were killed with a dagger.

He said the deceased were buried in a local graveyard after people from the village and other areas attended funeral prayers.

The police claimed that investigators had started looking into the incident and collected “evidence” from the house.

District police officer Tariq Habib met relatives of the deceased and assured them of an early arrest of killers.

He directed police to investigate killings along scientific lines to bring culprits to justice.

The residents demanded of the government and police to improve the law and order situation in the district.

They condemned killings and called for tangible steps to check such incidents in future.

“Such killings are intolerable,” a resident said.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Arshad Hussain Shah took notice of killings in Lakki Marwat area and directed the provincial inspector general of police to put up a report about it to him. He also ordered the early arrest of killers.

“The culprits will be brought to justice soon,” he said.

The chief minister also sympathised with the family of the deceased and offered condolences to it.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2024