Clan clash: Police suspect tribal feud might be reason behind journalist’s murder

Mugheri and Tunio tribes began fighting when Khushboo Mugheri eloped with Tanveer Tunio.

KARACHI:

The authorities claim that 40 suspects were detained in Aurangzaib alias Zaib Tunio’s murder case. Tunio, his younger brother Rustam and friend Deedar Khaskheli were gunned down in Lalu Raunk, Qambar-Shahdadkot on Thursday.

Tunio, who had worked as a journalist for 25 years, was shot dead while working on stories for Daily Kawish and KTN at the press club.

As the news of the attack spread, fear gripped the area and people refused to step out of their homes. The police was sent immediately to control the situation. However, Tunio’s relative, Asghar, said that the police had detained people who were not involved in the killings.

Mujeeb, a journalist, told The Express Tribune that the people were not satisfied with the police and their security. “The situation in the area has been tense for the last five days and the police did not come to help,” he said. “A dozen men from the Mugheri tribe threatened and attacked the residents but the police did nothing.”

According to SSP Azfar Mahesar, the police had detained 40 suspects and would trace the real culprits. “One of our own men, SHO Wagan, was injured in the raids,” he said. “We are taking action against the Mugheri tribe.”

The Mugheri and Tunio tribes have been at war since last week when Khushboo Mugheri eloped with Tanveer Tunio, who is from Larkana. The Mugheri tribesmen attacked the Tunio tribesmen in Lalu Ranuk, even though the Tunio men claimed that they did not know and were not related to Tanveer. The tribal elder intervened and Khushboo was home by Wednesday. While all of this was going on, Tunio wrote about it in the newspaper and on the television channel. SSP Mahesar suspected that this could be one of the reasons Tunio was killed.

Journalists condemned Tunio’s murder and demanded the Sindh government to arrest the suspects within seven days or be prepared for a protest outside Chief Minister House.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2012.