On October 9, Police arrested two suspects and booked six others in connection with the killing of journalist Tufail Haiderani Rind, 34, and his eight-year-old niece Reena, who were shot dead on October 8 in Mirpur Mathelo, Sindh. The attack, allegedly motivated by a land dispute within the Gaddani caste, occurred while Rind was taking children to school.
According to police, the assailants opened fire on Rind’s car near Jerwar Road close to Maso Wah, killing him instantly while the children escaped unhurt. Witnesses said the attackers fled the scene on a motorcycle. Rind’s body was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Mirpur Mathelo for medico-legal formalities.
Rind, who served as general secretary of the Nasrullah Gadhani Press Club and was associated with Mehran Newspaper and Royal News, had previously survived an assassination attempt and had sought police protection. Family members said authorities had ignored repeated requests for security despite prior threats.
Ghotki SSP Anwar Khetran said suspects Irfan and Imamdin have been arrested, while six others remain at large. He added that a man identifying himself as Khalil Haiderani Rind claimed responsibility for the murder on social media, alleging revenge for his son’s death. The SSP said both families had been locked in a four-year-old feud that had already claimed two lives.
Khetran confirmed that Rind had reported gunfire at his home a few months earlier, after which police made arrests.
A few hours after the killing, Rind’s niece Reena, the daughter of Jameel Ahmed Haiderani Rind, fainted upon hearing the news. She was rushed to Mirpur Mathelo Hospital and later referred to Sukkur, but died en route. Her body was also handed over to relatives after medico-legal procedures.
Following the killings, local journalists staged a sit-in outside the SSP office, accusing police of negligence and demanding immediate arrests. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Karachi Press Club, Hyderabad Union of Journalists, and several other press clubs condemned the murder, calling it another example of rising violence against journalists.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the Inspector General of Police, Ghulam Nabi Memon, to submit an urgent report. Shah termed attacks on journalists as attacks on press freedom and ordered a transparent investigation. Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, MQM’s Taha Ahmed Khan, and Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh also issued statements condemning the murders.
PFUJ Vice President Akbar Jafri said Rind had recently warned of threats to his life on social media, but his appeals were ignored. He urged the Sindh government to provide financial and legal assistance to Rind’s family and to implement concrete measures for journalist safety.
Veteran journalist Mazhar Abbas noted that Rind’s killing followed the murder of Karachi-based journalist Imtiaz Mir, marking the second fatal attack on a journalist in Sindh within two weeks.
