November 14, 2024
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
An anti-terrorism court in Sukkur has handed down nine death penalties to a man for the mass murder of nine people in a tribal clash 14 years ago.
The accused, Raja alias Raju Narejo, had gunned down nine people and wounded seven others with his G-3 assault rifle, while firing at workers in a sugar cane in Ghambat police limits in Khairpur in 2009. An anti-terrorism court in Khairpur had separately convicted and sentenced to death his six other accused in the mass shooting in 2015.
On November 13, The judge, Mohammad Mehboob Awan, who presided over the Anti-Terrorism Court-II in Sukkur, heard the arguments of prosecutor Munawar Ali Maitlo and defense counsel Zameer Ghangro. The judge found Raju guilty of the crime of killing nine people and injuring seven others in the same attack.
Subsequently, the judge sentenced him to death on each of the nine murder charges. In addition, the court also sentenced him to 30 years imprisonment with a fine of Rs one million.
“Raju was the main accused in the mass killings case and was tried separately because he was arrested after the first trial in which the Khairpur anti-terrorism convicted his six other co-accused to death in 2015,” prosecutor Maitlo told Voicepk in an interview.
He was the principal accused in the first information report (FIR) lodged with the police which stated that he opened fire on the labourers working in the sugarcane field with his G-3 assault rifle.
The convict with the help of other accomplices had gunned down nine men of Shaikh and Maitlo communities over a clan feud on January 11, 2009, in Khairpur. The deceased were identified as Isa Sheikh, Naimatullah Sheikh, Abbas Sheikh, Nadeem Sheikh, Zulfiqar Sheikh, Irfan Sheikh, Naik Mohammad Maitlo, Panjal Maitlo, and Rabi Maitlo.
WARRING TRIBES, A MENACE IN SINDH
For the past three decades, Sindh has been experiencing many such deadly tribal disputes originating from petty issues including theft of livestock, matrimonial relations, honour killings and land feuds. Some of them have been settled and several have been devouring innocent lives.
Bhittai Social Watch and Advocacy (BSWA), a Khairpur-based NGO, published a report, the Tribal Trouble in 2012. An extended research of the same project was conducted from2010-2014, about 2301 people including 160 women and 45 children lost their lives and 3697 got injured in around 1566 tribal conflicts taking place in 22 districts of the interior Sindh. Making statistical calculations, the BSWA showed that every year 460 people were killed in 313 tribal feuds during these five years.
The most affected in these conflicts are the weak and the peaceful people as they are easy targets for the rival target killers
In tribal clashes, people belonging to the warring tribes are killed indiscriminately even if they are not involved in the dispute. In the race of killing people of the rival tribe, each party makes an effort to equalize the number of murders. The most affected in these conflicts are the weak and the peaceful people as they are easy targets for the rival target killers.
To settle tribal conflicts, jirgas and tribal courts are held by tribal chieftains, landlords and feudal politicians. Fines are fixed on the both warring tribes to compensate for killings, injuries and other losses instead of awarding punishments for murders, injuries and financial losses. As per established tradition of tribal clashes in Sindh, murder is compensated with murder and remaining amount of money goes into pockets of tribal chieftains.
The key factors responsible for resurfacing and prolonged tribal conflicts is lack of stringent punishments for these heinous crimes, and non-payments of the imposed fines to the bereaved families for the deaths of their family members.
The social fabric in conflict zones is badly impacted and uncertainty prevails in these regions. Education, health and economy are adversely affected. The people of warring tribes, outsiders and police are always cautious due to fear of eruption of clashes. Schools and health facilities are closed and routine business remains suspended. The literacy rate and routine immunization drives in those regions are very poor. Moreover, no social gatherings such as local festivals, marriage ceremonies are held in the traditional way.
Unfortunately, the people of disputing tribes can’t move freely to take care of their crops, livestock are lost, continue their jobs in other villages, town or city as they are frightened of being killed by the rivals. Such circumstances are a cause of financial crisis for these people. To generate income for their livelihood, commit heinous crimes including theft, murder for money, robbery and kidnapping for ransom. When their tribe comes into clash with another tribe, these criminals render their services as target killers and kill people of rival tribe indiscriminately.