THATTA: The district police on Monday reportedly subjected to brutal torture Mirpur Sakro town committee’s chairman Iqbal Khaskheli and a senior Sindh TV reporter Yousuf Shaheen, sparking angry protests across the district, which resulted in the victims’ production in local court and remand in judicial custody.

Sources in friends and families of the victims said that the duo was initially detained in Thatta Police Lines and was later transferred to Makli police station, where they were booked in three separate cases on charges of interference in police duties and illegal possession of a firearm.

The individuals’ arrest without due legal process and police’s holding them incommunicado sparked protests by the victims’ families, local journalists and members of political parties and civil society demanding their release.

Amid protests, police brought journalist Yousuf Shaheen to Civil Hospital Makli for urgent medical treatment, where he revealed harrowing details of the torture he had endured, which caused him fractures in his arms and hands.

He said that he and Mirpur Sakro town committee’s chairman Iqbal Khaskheli were arrested after leading protests against rampant corruption in the canal system, a cause that had already led to multiple cases filed against them.

As news of the incident spread, journalists from across the district gathered at the hospital and demonstrations were staged outside press clubs, demanding justice. Later, lawyers also joined the protests, compelling the Thatta police to produce the arrested individuals for remand via an online court session.

The court rejected the police’s request for a physical remand and instead sent both Khaskheli and Shaheen to jail in judicial custody. But later advocate Ejaz Jamani successfully argued for their release before the second additional sessions judge, who approved their bail in all three cases.

The protests were staged across Thatta, Makli, Dhabeji, Gharo, Gujjo, Jungshahi and other towns, and rallies were held outside the Thatta Press Club and other locations by the leadership of the Hyderabad Union of Journalists (HUJ), Thatta unit.

The protesters condemned police brutality and demanded immediate withdrawal of what they termed fabricated and retaliatory cases.

They highlighted alarming trend of using police force to intimidate journalists and activists who were critical of local governance.

Civil society organisations, media groups and political activists called for inquiry into the actions of Thatta police to hold accountable all the officials responsible for the unlawful detention and torture of the victims.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2025