January 16, 2026
By Shaukat Korai
KARACHI
The Sindh Home Department has formally requested the Sindh High Court to constitute a judicial inquiry into the alleged extrajudicial killing of young landowner Nadir Khan Jamali during a police encounter in Dadu earlier this month.
Nadir Khan Jamali died on January 6, 2026, in what police described as an exchange of fire during an arrest attempt in Dadu district. According to police claims, Jamali was wanted in connection with various criminal cases and was killed when he resisted arrest.
The deceased’s family has categorically rejected this narrative, alleging that police staged a fake encounter and killed Jamali after he voluntarily surrendered to authorities.
Official request for inquiry
Following recommendations from the Inspector General of Sindh Police, the Home Department wrote to the Sindh High Court registrar on January 15, formally requesting judicial oversight of the case.
The Additional IGP Operations suggested that the encounter, which occurred between January 6 and 7 in the jurisdictions of A Section and B Section police stations in Dadu, should be investigated under the supervision of the District and Sessions Judge.
“The purpose of the inquiry is to ascertain the facts and fix responsibility on the delinquent police officers/officials and other individuals, in the interest of justice,” stated the letter signed by Home Department official Aijaz Ali Bhatti.
The letter requested that the judicial inquiry be conducted by the District Sessions Judge, Jamshoro, with regular updates provided to the Home Department.
Family’s account contradicts police version
The deceased’s brother provided a starkly different account of events: “Nadir Jamali was killed innocent in a fake police encounter. Police had fabricated a false case against him. He surrendered himself, but police killed him in a fake encounter immediately after his arrest.”
He explained that police had already arrested their brother Bakar and detained six family employees. “That’s why Nadir wanted to surrender himself. He went to the police on his own because he believed the case against him was false and he would prove himself innocent, but the police committed great injustice and killed him within thirty to forty minutes of his arrest.”
The family has named several officers they hold responsible for the killing, including SSP Dadu Amir Saud Magsi, female SHO Benazir Jamali, SHO Qurban Qambrani, CIA in-charge Khalil Rehman Masan, and other unnamed police personnel. They are demanding immediate registration of a criminal case and arrests of the accused officers.
Protests and public pressure
On January 12, the Jamali family and civil society activists held protest demonstrations in both Dadu and Karachi, demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident.
In Dadu, a protest rally organized by family members, relatives, and community supporters marched from Allama I.I. Qazi Library to Dadu Press Club. Protesters issued an ultimatum: if the SSP, both SHOs, and other implicated officers are not arrested and an FIR is not registered against them by January 18, they will stage a sit-in on the Indus Highway and block the major thoroughfare.
At the Karachi demonstration, civil society leaders expressed deep skepticism about police-led investigations.
“If police are involved in Nadir Jamali’s murder, how can they conduct a transparent inquiry? Police’s record in Sindh is also extremely poor; there is no hope for transparent investigations from them,” said civil society leaders Rukhsana Halepoto and Sattar Zangejo.
“Police inquiry is always biased. Only a judicial inquiry can bring out the facts,” they added, warning of province-wide protests if a judicial inquiry is not ordered.
Rejection of internal police inquiry
The DIG Police Hyderabad had initially appointed SSP Hyderabad Adil Chandio as the inquiry officer to investigate the incident. However, the deceased’s family completely rejected this internal police investigation, maintaining that only a judicial inquiry would be acceptable.
The case now awaits action from the Sindh High Court. Transparent investigations under judicial supervision are expected to determine the true circumstances of Nadir Jamali’s death and whether police officers are culpable in what the family alleges was an extrajudicial killing. The incident has once again raised questions about police encounters in Sindh and the need for independent oversight of such incidents.