The Sindh government has imposed Section 144 in Ghotki as tension prevailed in the district amid a row over the appointment of the tribal chief in Khangarh’s Mahar family.
The notification issued by the provincial home department bans the gathering of people and the carrying of weapons in the area for 15 days, while a Sindh police spokesperson said that the Sukkur and Larkana DIGs were monitoring the situation and four SSPs in Ghotki, Shikarpur, Sukkur and Larkana had been tasked to maintain law and order in Mahars’ hometown of Khangarh and its adjoining areas.
Political divisions in the Mahar family have split it between the Pakistan Peoples Party, Grand Democratic Alliance and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The current dispute emerged when GDA MPA Ali Gohar Mahar revolted against his cousin, PPP MNA Sardar Mohammad Bux Mahar - the current chieftain of the tribe - to set himself up as the tribal chief.
“Ali organised a large turban-fastening ceremony on Sunday, where many people from his clan as well as the heads of other tribes declared him the chief,” explained local journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar, adding that influential people from other tribes and communities were also divided about the development.
According to reports, the custodian of the Dargah Haq Baho, GDA MNA Ghous Bux Mahar, PTI MNA Sardar Shaharyar Khan Shar and people from the Pitafi, Bijrani, Unar and Lund communities were among those who attended the ceremony.
Meanwhile, reports pouring in from Ghotki suggested that the Hur Jamaats, led by GDA chief Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi - better known as Pir Pagara - support the incumbent chieftain.
It is pertinent to note that while Mohammad Bux was formally the tribal leader, Ali had reportedly been functioning as the de facto chief.
“We carried forward the legacy appointing Mohammad Bux as the tribal chief,” Ali told The Express Tribune. “He was a child when his father passed away. After our uncle’s death, we looked after tribal affairs and safely handed them over to him, but he is now playing in the hands of the corrupt government, ignoring the people of the Mahar tribe. Since he is not capable of running the tribe’s affairs, the notables have nominated me for this responsibility.”
He further claimed that the PPP-led provincial government, by deputing police in the area, was barring the Mahars from entering his palace. “Despite this, the people who loved me removed all barriers and nominated me as their head.”
On the other hand, Mohammad Bux has begun consulting with his supporters and party leaders on the matter. “I am the only sardar of the Mahar tribe. Ali has tried to hijack it, but our people consider his move a coup,” he claimed.
Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that he, too, was planning a show of power in the area in order to send out a clear message that the tribe’s control lay with him.
The tension within the tribe has compelled the PPP leadership to intervene, with reports that PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has contacted Ali’s brother Raja Mahar to smooth the matter.
“Zardari has held a meeting with him [Raja] and sent a message to Ali. Let’s see what happens now,” a PPP leader told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2020.
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