KHAIRPUR: At least three people were killed and nine injured during clashes between two groups during an Eid Miladun Nabi procession in Khairpur on Thursday.
The clash broke out between two Sunni sects in Jani Burira village located in Kot Digi in Khairpur District.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Azfar Maheser informed that a gun battle broke out between the members of two rallies, one of which was being held to mark Eid Miladun Nabi, at the Ameer Shah Chowk Jalo Picket in the vicinity of the city’s Hussainabad Police Station.
The area has been cordoned off by police and Rangers officials.
Those killed have been identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, Abdul Latif and Zulfiqar Buriro. The injured were identified as Kashmir, Ghulam Shabbir, Noor Mohammad, Liaquat, Imtiaz Hussain, Quarban Ali, Suleman, and Shahabuddin, whereas one injured remained unidentified.
Kot Diji police have picked up 12 suspects following the incident. According to the SSP, these suspects also included some who were already wanted by police in different murder cases. He said that 10 empty cartridges from a 9mm pistol and one from a sub-machine gun were found from the site of the incident.
Another police officer said that activists of a banned outfit were involved in the incident and the name of one of the suspects, Paryal Shah, was already included in the Fourth Schedule. He was among the people who had objected to the holding of this procession without his permission, he said.
He further stated that the rally had been staged without a prior written permission, but when Kot Diji police told the activists not to stage a rally, they agreed to disperse.
Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwer Sial and Inspector General of Police (IGP) AD Khowaja have taken notice of the incident and have demanded a detailed report from SSP Azfar Mahesar.
The IGP said that the police is investigating whether a banned outfit is involved in the incident and assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible. He added that the area has been cordoned off by police and Rangers officials to ensure that there are no further clashes.
The IG also said that law and order situation is being reviewed by the police in view of Eid Miladun Nabi, which falls on Friday.