Nazim Jokhio’s widow pardons suspects

The widow of journalist Nazim Jokhio has pardoned the accused named in her husband's murder, saying that she has left the decision at the mercy of Almighty Allah and for the sake of her children's safety.

On November 3 last year, Nazim's tortured body was found in PPP MPA Jam Awais' farmhouse in Karachi's Malir area a day after he filmed a group of foreigners hunting endangered houbara bustard in his Achar Salaar village in Thatta.

According to Afzal Jokhio, brother of the deceased, Nazim made a video of a road, that was blocked by foreigners who had come for hunting of houbara bustards. "Nazim got into a verbal spat with a man in the car who snatched his cellphone. Nazim then made another video that went viral on social media."

He alleged that MPA Jam Awais and his secretary were involved in the murder of his brother. Subsequently, several people, including Awais, were named in the FIR.

The victim's widow Shiren Jokhio has pardoned the accused named in her husband's murder.

Shiren, in a video statement, said that she could not pursue the case alone, adding that she had left the decision at the mercy of Almighty Allah and for the sake of her children safety, she had pardoned the accused.

Read More: Haleem accuses PPP of obstructing justice in Nazim Jokhio case

The victim's wife also said that she was grateful to those who supported her and she wanted to tell everyone via the video that she can no longer fight the case.

"Those having their own children could understand my compulsion," she said and added that she wanted to fight the case but her relatives left her alone.

The federal government in January had said that it would fight the case if the family agreed to a "compromise" with the suspect. "If Nazim Jokhio's family compromises, the state will take up the case and fight it... The case of Qandil Baloch is before us all," Federal Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2022.