Rights commission calls for probe into Hidayatullah Lohar's murder

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for transparent investigation of the murder of Hidayatullah Lohar, a school teacher who was also associated with a nationalist party, who was killed in Naseerabad town of Qambar district of Larkana on February 16.

In a statement on Monday the HRCP's Chairman Asad Iqbal Butt asked the provincial government to ensure that the investigation of his murder is carried out without taking any pressure.

He also demanded immediate release of the protesters, including two sons of Lohar, who were arrested during a sit-in protest. Butt said the protesters have the constitutional right to hold peaceful demonstrations.

Referring to the HRCP's fact-finding report, which was also released on Monday, Butt said it revealed that Lohar's murder was most likely a targeted killing linked to his nationalist activism. He recalled that the slain person was twice subjected to enforced disappearance.

According to him, the HRCP's fact-finding team did not come across any valid motive behind the killing which might indicate towards personal enmity. "...  the mission found this [Lohar's activism] to be a credible assumption."

He stated that the mission also observed with concern initial reluctance of the police to lodge an FIR, nominating specific individuals as the accused. This was despite testimonies from Lohar's family and CCTV footage of the incident. The case, however, was registered two weeks later on the court's order.

The HRCP further demanded that the Sindh government should compensate as well as protect Lohar's family, given their vulnerability as vocal activists against enforced disappearances. The perpetrators of the murder must be brought to justice irrespective of any possible links to the powerful quarters, the chairman said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2024.