SUKKUR: Two suspects are in custody after a journalist and his niece were shot dead in Ghotki district on Wednesday, prompting the journalist community to stage a sit-in outside the SSP’s office to demand the arrest of the killers.

Tufail Haiderani Rind, who was the general secretary of the Nasrullah Gadhani Press Club in Mirpur Mathelo, was taking his children to school when several men ambushed him. The deceased and his niece, Reena, were rushed to the local DHQ hospital, but did not survive. Their funerals were later held in the Peer Bakhsh Haiderani village near Mirpur Mathelo.

There were contradictory accounts about the niece’s death — some claimed she did not receive any bullet injuries and instead died of shock after watching her uncle being slain before her eyes. The Ghotki SSP told Dawn the girl had not suffered any bullet wounds.

On the other hand, the deceased’s uncle, Mumtaz Haiderani, told reporters that the journalist was attacked near the Noori petrol pump. He said the slain journalist had been targeted in a similar manner in the past but survived; however, their younger relative Abdul Qayyum Haiderani had been killed in that attack.

Police arrest two suspects, say Rind fell victim to ‘old enmity’ stemming from land dispute; journalists stage sit-in

According to Mr Mumtaz, they repeatedly sought protection due to threats, but the police recently removed the picket established in their village instead. In the past, the slain journalist had come under attack multiple times but survived.

‘Old enmity’

The police, however, attributed the killing to ‘old enmity’ stemming from a land dispute. In a statement, the Ghotki police spokesperson said the correspondent for the Daily Mehran newspaper was killed due to an old enmity. In swift response to the incident, the Mirpur Mathelo police promptly arrested two suspects, Irfan, son of Subhan Haiderani, and Imamdin, son of Riaz Haiderani, allegedly involved in the incident, said the Ghotki police in a statement.

The police said Muhammad Hanif Haide­rani, who was absconding in a case registered about a dispute, had been held on Oct 4, which prompted the rivals to target the journalist. Mr Hanif and the deceased had a land dispute and the murder was also linked to the same years-old dispute, the police added.

Separately, the purported killer also posted a video on social media, identifying himself as Khalil Rind. He confessed to the killing to avenge the murder of his son Amir Rind by the slain journalist’s brother.

Sit-in outside SSP office

Later, journalists from across the district reached SSP office and staged a sit-in. They accused the police and a local influential landlord of allegedly facilitating the killers of Tufail Rind, calling this a message to the surviving journalists. The journalists announced that the sit-in would continue until the killers of Tufail Rind were arrested.

Meanwhile, Ghotki SSP Anwar Khetran reached out to the protesters and claimed that police had arrested two suspects and sought two more days to arrest others. The journalists, however, vowed to continue the sit-in until all arrests were made. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also took notice of the incident and demanded a detailed report.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2025