GHOTKI / ISLAMABAD; A local journalist, Tufail Rind, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the Mirpur Mathelo area of Sindh’s Ghotki district on Wednesday morning, police said. The attack took place when he was on his way to drop his children off at school.
According to a police press release, the shooting occurred on Jerwar Road near Maso Wah, where assailants riding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire at his car. Rind died on the spot, while his children miraculously escaped unharmed.
Witnesses said the attackers fled the scene after the assault, spreading panic in the area. The police transported the body to the District Headquarters Hospital of Mirpur Mathelo for medico-legal formalities.
Ghotki’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anwar Khetran immediately reached the crime scene, inspected the site, and met the victim’s family.
He issued strict orders to the officers concerned for prompt action and assured the family that all individuals involved in the murder would be arrested and brought to justice.
The police said they were investigating multiple angles and collecting evidence to determine the motive behind the attack.
According to relatives, Rind was associated with Mehran Newspaper and Royal News and also served as an office-bearer of the Mirpur Mathelo Press Club.
He had survived an earlier assassination attempt and had requested security from the local administration, but no effective measures were taken.
SSP Khetran confirmed that Rind had complained a few months ago about gunfire at his home, after which police had made arrests. One suspect was arrested again on October 4 in connection with that incident.
A few hours after the murder, Rind’s eight-year-old niece fainted upon hearing the news. She was taken to Mirpur Mathelo Hospital and later referred to Sukkur due to her critical condition, but she died on the way. Her body was handed over to the family after legal procedures.
SSP Khetran said two suspects had already been arrested in connection with the murder. He revealed that Rind had a long-standing dispute with members of his own community, during which two people had previously been killed.
Individuals from both rival groups were already in jail, and this was the third murder linked to the same conflict.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and sought an urgent report from Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon.
He said attacks on journalists are attacks on press freedom, which cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. He directed police to conduct an impartial investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Locals described Rind as a courageous journalist who always stood for the downtrodden. His funeral was attended by a large number of citizens, journalists, and political leaders. Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and other political figures condemned the killing, calling it tragic and deplorable.
Journalist associations across Sindh strongly condemned the murder and organized protests demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits and effective laws to protect journalists.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Karachi Press Club, Hyderabad Union of Journalists, and others issued a joint statement, saying another voice had been silenced for speaking the truth. They urged the Sindh government to support Rind’s family financially and legally and to implement a clear security policy for journalists.
PFUJ Vice President Akbar Jafri said the killing reflected the failure of the government to protect journalists. He pointed out that Rind had publicly appealed for protection days before his death, but authorities ignored his request.
Journalist Mazhar Abbas also noted on social media that killings of journalists were rising again in Sindh, highlighting that this was the second journalist killed within two weeks.
Pakistan continues to be one of the deadliest countries for journalists. Reports show that between 2006 and 2023, 87 journalists were killed in Pakistan, with only two cases resolved. Several recent incidents in Ghotki and other parts of Sindh underline the ongoing threats faced by media workers in the country.
