MULTAN: The police claim to have arrested eight accused in the Jalalpur Pirwala incident which claimed the lives of 10 people and left 17 injured in an exchange of fire among three groups in Basti Jafar, Tehsil Jalalpur, on the Eid day.
However, the police did not disclose names and whereabouts of the arrested accused due to legal complications.
At least 10 people were killed and 17 others were wounded in an armed clash between two rival groups in Jalalpur Pirwala Tehsil on the Eid day, the police said. Three river belt gangsters involved in the clash including Mumtaz Kala Jafar gang and Dahar and Rukh gangs exchanged firing when 22 people belonging to the Kala Jafar tribe were returning from mosque in Basti Jafar after offering Eid prayers. The rival Dahar, Rukh and Nazak gangs restored to firing with Kalashnikovs. Ten people were killed on the spot including three security guards of Kala Jafar and 17 were wounded, complainant Abbas stated.
Two members of the Kala Jafar gang were also killed in the exchange of firing. Mumtaz Kala alias Kala Jafar was gunned down among nine others. Ghulam Hussein Nazak was uncle of Kala Jafar.
Police insiders said Kala Jafar had submitted an application with the Jalalpur police for protection from his rival gangs but the police showed reluctance to provide security for want of personnel. The police had nominated 20 accused and 5 unidentified men in the first information report.
Tension spread in the area after the killings. A heavy contingent of police reached the spot after the incident and brought the situation under control. Police and rescue teams shifted the dead and injured to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Later, 13 critically wounded persons were referred to the Nishtar Hospital Multan.
The Regional Police have claimed to arrest eight accused out of 20 nominated persons in the FIR and making efforts to locate the remaining. Inspector General of Police Captain (retd) Arif Nawaz suspended Jalalpur Sadar SDPO Jam Salim Khar on the charges of committing negligence. The Multan RPO Wasim Ahmed Khan suspended Jalalpur Sadar SHO Muhammad Sadiq after the registration of FIR. The RPO also constituted six teams for the arrest of the accused and gave 24 hours deadline to arrest the accused. The deadline lapsed on June 6 as the police could arrest only eight accused.
The IGP also sought a detailed report from Multan CPO Imran Mehmood, the Multan SSP Operations and the SP Sadar. The IGP conducted an emergency video link conference which was attended by the Multan RPO, CPO and other senior police officials. He expressed concern over the massacre and asked the RPO Multan about measures taken against the accused involved in the incident.
The regional police officer gave a detailed briefing on the incident and informed him that the police arrested six accused soon after the incident while two more were arrested later. The police have set up temporary check-posts in the area to block any untoward incident.
The News has probed the carnage and learnt from police insiders and residents that it was the result of a political and old rivalry. Police insiders revealed that internal warfare among gangs developed one and a half years back when Mumtaz alias Kala Jafar developed differences with his assistant Baga Dahar, killed in a police encounter one and half years before. Kala Jafar was accused of leaking information to police for the killing of Jam Abid Baga Dahar. Inspector Saeed Akhtar Gujjar led the police encounter and finally killed the dacoit Baga Dahar. Kala Jafar was also involved in the killing of Shoki Rukh. Jam Abid Baga Dahar was placed on the list of Punjab’s most wanted criminals.
The police insiders revealed that the Dahar gang’s leadership shifted to the residence of his son Ali Nawaz Dahar after the killing of his father Jam Abid Dahar. Later Dahar and Rukh gangs developed an alliance against Kala Jafar. The Dahar gang nominated Kala Jafar in the FIR against the killing of Jam Abid Dahar, one and a half years before.
The police division between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz worsened the situation after Rana Qasim Noon quitted the PML-N and joined the PTI. Landlord Ghulam Hussein Nazak of the Nazak tribe and Dahar and Rukh gangs supported PML-N candidates in the election 2018. Kala Jafar supported PTI candidates in the election 2018.
“The Dahar, Rukh and Nazak gangs retaliated against Kala Jafar gang members to revenge old enmities including the killing of Jam Abid Dahar,” a senior police official observed.
When contacted, RPO Wasim Ahmed Khan said he was not in the town while investigations are in process. When MNA Rana Qasim Noon was contacted, his private secretary said he is busy and cannot talk.
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