By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: The Interim Sindh province chief minister ordered an inquiry on Friday into the killing of four villagers in a raid by law enforcement agencies against suspected militants and said he would report the findings within four days.
The villagers were killed on Thursday when law enforcement agencies, including paramilitary Rangers, launched an operation in Sakrand village, about 200 km northeast of Karachi, the provincial capital to arrest suspected members of the outlawed Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA), a little-known separatist group.
A Rangers spokesman said the operation was based on intelligence reports and targeted “high value” militants, who were hiding in the village.
The spokesman said the militants opened fire on the security forces, injuring four Rangers personnel. He did not give details of any casualties or arrests.
However, local residents and political activists disputed the official version and said that the four slain men were innocent villagers who had no links with the SRA and accused the security forces of extrajudicial killings.
They said that the security forces raided the house of a local leader of the Sindh United Party (SUP), a nationalist party that advocates for more provincial autonomy, and indiscriminately fired at the people inside, killing four and injuring nine others, including Rangers.
The villagers then staged a protest on a national highway with the coffins of the dead, demanding justice and an end to “state terrorism”. They blocked traffic for several hours.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a prominent rights watchdog, also expressed concern over the incident and called for an independent investigation.
“While the government should take all possible steps to improve law and order in the province, this in no way excuses extrajudicial killings, which HRCP has always opposed,” it said in a post on social media platform X. “The protesting families deserve justice.”
Interim Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar expressed his sorrow and regret over the incident and said he had formed a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry.
“I have sought details of the incident from the home minister and directed the committee to submit its report within four days,” he told reporters after attending a religious procession in Karachi. “Such kind of incidents are painful and should not take place.”
The committee comprises senior officials from the provincial administration and police.
The protest ended after the provincial chief minister ordered an inquiry into the incident and a case was registered against the security forces on the complaint of a relative of one of the deceased. The case was filed under sections of murder and attempted murder.
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