Clash of tribes: Death of five Shars further deters peace process

Police raids Kehar villages, arrest 10 people and deny allegations of bulldozing houses.

SUKKUR: Five family members were killed and one injured when a group of armed men opened fire on a tractor trolley near Abdaal Shakh located within Sultankot police limits in Shikarpur on Tuesday night.

According to reports, Gulzar Shar, along with his brothers and cousins had gone to purchase hay on a tractor trolley. While they were returning to their village, a group of armed men opened fire, killing Mohammad Ali and Niaz on the spot and injuring Abdul Rasool, Iqbal, Gulzar and Peeral. The armed bandits made a swift escape right after the firing.



The police shifted the bodies and the injured to civil hospital, where Abdul Rasool and Iqbal succumbed to their injuries.

Gulzar Shar was being sent to Karachi hospital because of his critical condition, however, he died in Shikarpur before he could be sent, which took the death toll to five.

Following the killings, hundreds of Shar tribesmen gathered outside Sultankot police station and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits behind the killings on Wednesday. SHO Ali Akbar Khokar met the protesters and assured them of early arrests of the culprits, putting an end to the sit-in.

Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police reportedly raided and cordoned off the  villages, Gulab Kehar and Atthur Kehar. The police searched house to house to arrest ten people, including women, and took away some cattle heads, such as buffaloes and cows. The police reportedly bulldozed ten houses before leaving.

The head constable, Taufeeq Ahmed, told The Express Tribune that a case has been registered against 20 people from Kehar tribe out of which 14 are nominated and six were unidentified. The names of the nominated people included Qurban Kehar, Attur Kehar, Sheral Kehar, Mohammad Salah Kehar, Himmat Ali Kehar, Abdul Karim Kehar. Ahmed confirmed that the police raided the villages to arrest the culprits but so far no arrest has been made. He denied bulldozing houses, making arrests and taking away buffaloes and cows.

The Express Tribune tried to contact SHO Khokar but he was unavailable for comments.

Inception of the clash

Around 20 years ago, the police raided a village in Mian Sahib in Shikarpur and during an exchange of fire, a wanted criminal Mohammad Arib Shar, was killed. The Shar tribesmen had blamed Kehar tribesmen for tipping off the police and thus enmity between the two tribes started. So far, 21 people have been killed and more than 30 have been injured in clashes. However, some influential families, including the Syeds, have tried to convince both the tribes to bury the hatchet. Some of the elders have met the elders of Shar and Kehar tribes, who then agreed to hold talks after Eid but before this Kehar tribe allegedly attacked and killed five Shar tribesmen on Tuesday night, thus sabotaging the peace process.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2013.