Five tribesmen killed in Jhal Masgi shoot-out

Women of the area brought the bloody clash to an end

QUETTA: At least five tribesmen were killed and three others injured in a gun battle between rival groups of the Lashari tribe in the Gajan area of Jhal Magsi district on Friday.

Officials said the two rival groups took up positions in the Goth Qazi Ismail area of Gajan and began shooting at each other. Members of the two groups used heavy weapons and also fired rockets at each other.



Three people were killed and five others injured on the spot. The injured were moved to the district hospital in Jhal Magsi where two of them succumbed to their wounds. A senior Levies official confirmed the deaths and added that one of the victims was a passerby.

The gun battle continued for more than four hours even after the Levies Force and Balochistan Constabulary personnel had arrived at the scene. The area was cordoned off and efforts were made to get the two sides to hold their fire. However, neither side was willing to relent and continued firing at will.

Sources told The Express Tribune that both parties eventually dropped their weapons upon intervention by women holding a copy of the Holy Quran.

The reason behind the clash was an old enmity over an honour killing. Sardar Dhani Bakhsh Lashari, a tribal elder of the area, said, the feud had already claimed the lives of around 22 people over the last few years.

He accused the police and local authorities of not arresting the real culprits. A large number of people have already left the area.

He also revealed that both groups have violated the ceasefire many times which was set by the two groups after negotiations.

The administration has deployed heavy contingents of the Levies Force and Balochistan Constabulary in the area to stop further clashes. The deceased were identified as Jan Muhammad, Khamisa Khan, Ghulam Rasool, Muhammad Dawood and Ali Muhammad (a passerby).

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2016.