Bijarani killed wife before committing suicide: initial probe

The former minister, wife laid to rest respectively in Kashmore, Karachi

KARACHI: In their initial report, the police investigators probing into the mysterious deaths of Sindh planning and development minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and his wife, Fariha Razzaq Haroon, have suggested that the minister killed his wife before committing suicide.

“On the basis of available crime scene and circumstantial evidence and initial post-mortem report it appears that Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani killed his wife and then committed suicide with the same weapon,” said the initial inquiry report quoting the initial postmortem report issued by the office of Zone South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Azad Khan on Friday.

The couple was found shot dead on Thursday afternoon in their house located at Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). Bijarani was found lying on a sofa while his wife was on the floor bleeding from head. The police had recovered a 30-bore pistol and four bullet casings from the room.

The statement said examination of the crime scene and dead bodies indicated that the deaths were caused by firearms. “Bijarani received one gunshot in the head, entry from the right and exit from the left. Whereas, Fariha Razzaq Haroon received three bullets; one on head – entry from left and exit from right ear – and two on abdomen,” it said.

It said the crime scene was secured and properly photographed after the incident and forensic, fingerprint and investigation teams that collected relevant evidence including, blood samples, bullet empties and finger prints for forensic and chemical examination.



Four empties, three missed bullets, two live bullets, and a 30 bore pistol were also recovered from the crime scene.  “The DVR of CCTV cameras installed at the house have also been seized for further examination,” it added.

According to the statement, proceedings under Section 174 of CrPC had been initiated and six persons including two police guards and four domestic servants were being interviewed and questioned in order to collect relevant evidence.

“They revealed in their initial statements that an altercation had been going on between husband and wife for last few days on some issue. The house was locked from inside and it was forcibly opened by son and servants of deceased.

“According to initial forensic/ballistic report of FSL, all the empties collected from the crime scene have been fired from the same weapon,” the DIG statement added.

DIG South told The Express Tribune they are examining the CCTV footages which suggest that no one from outside entered or exited their bungalow at the time of the incident.  “The footages also show that the domestic servants were alerted by the gunshots.”



He said the pistol used in the incident was licensed and owned by Bijarani but the forensic experts were not able to obtain fingerprints as the pistol is too old. “The crime scene and circumstances suggest that the incident occurred over some domestic issue but further investigation is underway,” he said.

Bijarani, wife laid to rest

Bijarani was laid to rest in a graveyard in his ancestral village Karampur in Kashmore district on Friday. Thousands of people, including the tribesmen and the PPP supporters attended the funeral prayer which was offered on a ground along a local grid station.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers and the PPP’s leaders also reached the rural town to attend the funeral. The funeral prayers for Fariha were offered after Friday prayers at Sultan Mosque in Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

Fariha Razzaq Haroon, a former journalist who served as PPP MPA from 2002 to 2007 was Bijarani’s second wife with whom he had no children. The couple had tied the knot in 2008.

Bijarani’s domestic servants statements to the police

“Scuffle between the couple had become a routine matter. There was something wrong between the couple, especially from the last few days, particularly a day before the incident took place. But we have had no idea about the reason behind their daily basis scuffle as they used to speak in English of which we are not familiar. After Wednesday’s scuffle, Begum Sahiba called all the drivers and took the keys from them of all the vehicles. Bijarani Sahib, however, phoned to his office for bringing a car from the office to take him to the hair salon,” the domestic servants recorded their statement to the police.