One more newsman killed in Ghotki

As districts like Ghotki and Kambar Shahdadkot remain at the mercy of ruthless gangs of violent outlaws, another journalist was killed in Ghotki on Tuesday allegedly for his professional work.

Muhammad Bachal Ghunio was killed in the riverbed area of Raunti, a hotbed of bandits, around three months after Nasrullah Gaddani was slain in the same district.

According to reports, around 10 armed suspects assaulted residence of Ghunio early on Tuesday morning and shot him dead. The assailants easily escaped after the crime. His body was shifted to taluka hospital in Ubauro where he was declared dead. He had earlier survived a fatal attack in which his wife was killed.

Relatives of Ghunio are said to be behind his murder, the cause as reported by his family was his work. Over two years ago, a young man from among his relatives took his own life by consuming poison. The cause for his suicide was said to be the Ghotki police who had announced head money over him. His relatives blamed Ghunio for being behind the move of the police department.

The local influential people tried to settle the dispute. The martyred journalist was forced to walk on fire, a local tradition to ascertain if someone is lying or speaking truth. But, he emerged innocent because his feet were not burnt. Nevertheless, he was made to pay monetary compensation for the suicide death of his relative.

"The enmity with our relatives was settled but they still killed my father," Ghunio's minor son told the media. His brother, Sachal Ghunio complained that the Ghotki police took no action against the assailants who earlier attacked his brother and killed his sister-in-law.

"Had the police arrested the attackers after the last attack, my brother would have not been killed today." The local journalists and Ghunio family staged a sit-in protest in reaction to the killing. Meanwhile, DSP Hafiz Abdul Qadir assured the protesters that the police would apprehend the suspects within two days. However, the FIR of the incident could not be registered by Tuesday evening.