Court’s decision: Ameer Bux Bhutto gets bail in murder case

The case against my son is politically motivated, says Mumtaz Bhutto.

SUKKUR: The district and sessions court, Larkana, granted bail to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and Mumtaz Bhutto’s son, Ameer Bux Bhutto, on Wednesday.

Arrest warrants were issued against Ameer Bux and others on the alleged charges of killing two members of the Khuhro clan on September 29 in the limits of Keti Mumtaz police station near Naudero.

Mumtaz Bhutto’s media manager, Ibrahim Abro, told The Express Tribune that a dispute was caused over 3,200 acres of agricultural land near Naudero, which is owned by the Bhuttos. “The Khuhros had their eye on this piece of land since long,” said Abro. He claimed that on September 29, Khuhro clan members, on the orders of Sardar Asadullah Khuhro, raided the property and opened fire, killing a farmer, Nawab Bhutto,” said Abro. He added that the Bhuttos retaliated and killed two Khuhro clan members, Ali Mohammad and Mohammad Zaman. FIRs were lodged against seven members of the Bhutto clan, including Ameer Bux, while a separate case was also registered against Asadullah.

Ameer Bux and others implicated in the case were granted interim bail by the court, which was extended. “They filed an application to the court to confirm their bail, which was confirmed on October 31, but the police have not taken any action against Sardar Asadullah Khuhro and others,” said Abro.

PML-N leaders including, Mumtaz Bhutto, Ghous Ali Shah, Saleem Zia, Akbar Gujjar, Zain Ansari, Keal Das Kohistani and Nihal Hashmi were present at the court to express solidarity with Ameer Bux.  “The case against my son is politically motivated. The day I announced to contest the general elections against Faryal Talpur from NA-207 Larkana-Naudero, the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership resorted to political victimisation,” said Mumtaz Bhutto. NA-207 is the constituency of Mumtaz Bhutto’s father, Nawab Nabi Bux. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto both contested from this constituency and won.

While talking to the media, Ghous Ali Shah said that he opposed the case against Ameer Bux and that the PPP should refrain from political victimisation. Commenting on the Asghar Khan case, he said that the PML-N chief, Nawaz Sharif, had no objections if the Federal Investigation Agency investigates into the allegations made against him. He added that the nationalists have been struggling to safeguard the interests of Sindh and said that his party would oppose and never accept the new local government system until it is withdrawn.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2012.