Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Friday ordered an inquiry into the killing of four villagers in Sakrand and summoned a report on the incident within four days, Aaj News reported.
On Thursday, Pakistani security forces raided a village in Sakrand to arrest militants belonging to the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army. Four people were killed and nine others were wounded, including four Rangers personnel.
A Rangers spokesperson said in a statement that they launched an intelligence-based operation against high-value targets without providing further details.
However, Roshan Burriro, the secretary-general of the Sindh United Party, a Sindhi nationalist party, claimed that those killed were supporters of his party and that they were shot by security forces during a scuffle that broke out between the two sides.
After the incident, villagers took to the streets and staged a sit-in on a section of the National Highway carrying the coffins of the deceased.
In a post on social media platform X (erstwhile Twitter) today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called for an independent investigation into the incident.
“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, adding that the protesting families deserved justice.
The interim Sindh CM expressed his sorrow and regret over the Sakrand incident in a media talk after attending a Rabiul Awwal procession at New Memon Mosque in the evening.
He said he had met with interim Sindh Home Minister retired Brigadier Haris Nawaz to discuss the incident and get details. “Such incidents are painful and should not take place,” CM Baqar added.
The CM said he had formed a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry into the incident and directed them to report their findings within four days.
An order issued by the Sindh Home Department, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, said the inquiry committee would be headed by Hyderabad Commissioner Khalid Hyder Shah and included the Shaheed Benazirabad deputy inspector general of police (DIG) and Karachi DIG Special Branch.
The committee would investigate the matter to “determine the reasons of this clash resulting in loss of precious lives and injuries to law enforcement personnel”.