Motive behind double murder still under debate

Narewal admits that he killed two Bhakrani brothers and if given the chance he would kill the entire family.

SUKKUR: Muhammad Hashim Narewal admits that he killed two Bhakrani brothers in 2009 and if given the chance he would not hesitate to kill the entire family.

“Slit my throat, I will not compromise on my honour,” shouts Narewal from behind bars. He claims that he killed them because they insulted the women of his house.

“They swore at me and pointed fingers at my wife and daughter,” he says, declaring, “I killed them for honour.”

A resident of Ahmed Ali Bhakrani village in Shikarpur, Narewal shared ownership of a two-acre plot with the Bhakrani brothers, Haji Ahmed Ali and Muhammad Nawaz. He sold some part of this land to Nawaz but regretted it immediately. He felt he had sold the plot for less than its worth.

He wanted to reclaim the land but since he had sold it himself, Nawaz refused to return it. Disagreements began to fester between the three men but before it turned violent, village elders stepped in.

On the face of it, Narewal agreed to re-establish good relations with the Bhakranis but he still obsessed over the lost land. One day, three of the Bhakranis came to attend a wedding in Narewal’s village and he invited them to stay at his house.

According to the third Bhakrani brother, Haji Shahnawaz, the old friends were talking late into the night when one of them brought up the land issue and Narewal lost his temper. He whipped out a gun and shot Nawaz and Ahmed, while Shahnawaz was asleep.

“Narewal offered my brothers tea, which he had intoxicated,” says Shahnawaz. “After killing my brothers, he ran after me but I survived because his gun broke down.”

Narewal escaped after the killings but was found in Sukkur after some time. In custody, Narewal insists that there was no land dispute but the honour of his women made him hold the grudge for so many years.

The Bhakrani family lodged an FIR and nominated eight people but Narewal insists that he was not accompanied by anyone. “I swear I did this alone. None of my sons are involved and the names in the FIR are false,” he shouts.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2010.