Police versus sardars: Jirga of elected representatives fine policeman Rs3m

Former Thul SPO convicted of double murder.

SUKKUR:

A jirga of elected representatives and influential landlords of Thul fined a police officer Rs3 million for allegedly killing two men in an encounter. The Jacobabad police have yet to take any action against the jirga members.

A week ago, Pakistan Muslim League — Functional leader Imtiaz Shaikh, Sardar Jehangir Khan Kakepoto, Sardar Ghazi Khan Channa, Sardar Zulfiqar Sarki and former MPA Dr Suhrab Sarki jointly presided over the jirga in Garhi Hassan Sarki. The rivals — Sahib Dino Sarki and Shah Dino Sarki, and former Thul SPO Nooruddin Khuharo — also attended the meeting held to settle an alleged double murder that took place two years ago.

The men heard both the parties, including the victims’ families and witnesses, and then held a discussion. After nearly two hours, the jirga declared Khuharo guilty of killing two men. He was ordered to pay Rs3 million in compensation to the families. Khuharo accepted the verdict and promptly paid Rs200,000 with a promise to pay the rest of the money in three equal instalments, said sources.

Jacobabad DPO Perwez Chandio told The Express Tribune that since the jirga, he has been trying to contact Khuharo but to no avail. “His last posting was with the CCPO of Karachi, and now I don’t know where he is,” he said.

Criticising the verdict of the jirga, Chandio said that the police officer should not have given in to pressure. Both the men were killed in an exchange of fire with the police so there is no question of compensation, he said. He added that the police were not allowed to register the case against the culprits involved in the encounter. Instead, a murder case was lodged against the policemen.

This issue was taken up by a similar jirga six months ago when former Thul SHO Gul Mohammad Mahar was fined Rs2.6 million to compensate the same murders. At that time, Khuharo had refused to attend the jirga. Even Mahar had paid the amount in three equal instalments and is now posted at A-Section Police Station in Kandhkot.

The conflict began two years ago when a large number of policemen, led by the then Thul SPO Khuharo and SHO Mahar, raided Garhi Hassan Sarki village on a tip-off that a wanted criminal, Sharbat Jaffery, was hiding there. The police searched all the houses and managed to find Jaffery but the residents put up resistance and opened fire at the police.

In the resulting crossfire, Raees Allah Juriyo Sarki and Faiz Mohammad Sarki, believed to be close to Jaffery, were killed. Later, hundreds of residents cordoned off Thul police station. They placed the bodies on the road and demanded the authorities lodge a case against the police.

Some police officers at higher posts ordered Thul police to register the case against eight policemen. The case was challenged in the court but the police officers agreed to reconcile the matter through a jirga.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2011.