16-year-old love marriage: Man, wife, mother, two children shot dead

By Wasim Shamsi

SUKKUR: A man, his wife, mother and two minor children were gunned down and two other minor children were injured in a deadly attack on their house in Suleman Mahar village of Pano Akil’s kutcha area on Tuesday night.

The shocking killings are believed to have been caused by a 16-year-old love marriage.

According to reports reaching here, armed assailants barged into the house of Khuda Dino Mahar and opened indiscriminate fire. As a result, Khuda Dino Mahar, his wife Sabiha, mother Sohni and sons — Rab Dino, 3, and Lutfullah, 2 — were killed on the spot and his another son Mohammad Malook, 7, and daughter Shazia, 4, were injured.

Mohammad Malook had received three bullet injuries and Shazia two bullet injuries, according to their close relative Manzoor Mahar.

On receiving information, the Raza Goth police reached the village and took the bodies and those injured to Pano Akil taluka hospital where the injured children were operated upon by the doctors.

Bullets had been taken out of their bodies and their lives were out of danger, Manzoor Mahar said

The bodies were handed over to the relatives after post-mortem. Amid touching scenes, the bodies were buried in the ancestral graveyard of the slain persons in the village on Wednesday.

The area people told journalists that 16 years ago, Khuda Dino Mahar had married Sabiha Kori against the will of her parents on which her relatives were infuriated.

Suleman Mahar, an elder of the Mahar community of the village, has accused the brother of deceased Sabiha, Jan Mohammad Kori, and his accomplices of the killings.

No case was registered till the filing this of this report but there were rumours that the police had arrested Jan Mohammad Kori and were raiding different areas to arrest the remaining accused.

However, it could not be confirmed as the SHO concerned could not be contacted on telephone despite repeated efforts and Ghotki DPO Javed Jiskani had been transferred to Karachi, with nobody replacing him yet.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/30/2009