ISLAMABAD, Sept 4: The family members of a man murdered in Pakpattan have demanded immediate arrest and trial of the influential culprits who they say are still at large and pressuring them through the police to strike a deal with them.

Talking to Dawn here, they appealed to President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to help them get justice.

Kariman Bibi, the widow of the murdered man, said her husband Mohammad Saleem was shot dead by landlord Shah Sawar and his accomplices over a water dispute.

She said the accused had also fired upon his husband three days before he was killed, but later the two parties reconciled. The accused, she said, had in fact trapped Saleem to make sure he did not flee.

She said she was a poor woman with six children, the youngest being only five months old, and the only earning hand of the family had been killed.

She said the accused were offering them Rs500,000 for reaching an “agreement” but it was not acceptable to her. “We are ready to starve to death but will not sell the blood of Saleem,” she remarked.

Mohammad Ameer, the brother of the murdered man, said Shah Behram, the younger brother of the main accused, was currently working with NAB Karachi and was using his influence to make sure police did not arrest his brother.— Our Reporter