Dadu court acquits all accused in 2018 triple murder case of ex-UC Chairman and sons

HYDERABAD: A Model Criminal Court in Dadu on Monday acquitted all eight accused in the high-profile 2018 triple murder case involving former PPP union council chairman Raees Karamullah Chandio and his two sons in Mehar town.

Karamullah Chandio and his sons, Mukhtiar and Qabil, were shot dead in an armed attack at their residence in Ahmed Colony on January 17, 2018. The killings had been attributed to political rivals, including then Sindh Assembly members Sardar Chandio and his brother Burhan Chandio.

Announcing the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Hassan Ali Kalwar ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond doubt, extending the benefit of the doubt to all accused.

Besides the two politicians, the acquitted individuals included Sikandar Ali Chandio, Ali Gohar Chandio, Abdul Sattar Chandio, Zulfiqar alias Qadoo Chandio, Ghulam Murtaza Chandio and Abdul Kareem Chandio.

The court ordered the immediate release of those in custody if not required in other cases, while also discharging bail bonds and sureties of those previously on bail.

Reacting to the verdict, complainant’s counsel Salahuddin Panhwar announced plans to challenge the decision in the Sindh High Court, arguing that the case warranted conviction. He claimed that evidence, including eyewitness testimonies and recovery of weapons, had not been duly considered by the court.

He also recalled that one of the attackers was killed during the incident and alleged that security arrangements had been unusually tightened ahead of the verdict, with Section 144 imposed across Dadu district.

Defence counsel Athar Abbas Solangi, however, maintained that one of the key accused, Burhan Chandio, was not present at the scene and criticised the complainant for prolonging the case to implicate Sardar Chandio.

The case was originally registered at Mehar police station under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including murder, criminal intimidation, abetment, and rioting.

According to the FIR, the attack followed a dispute within the Chandio community, as Mukhtiar Chandio had reportedly opposed Sardar Chandio’s influence, leading to threats prior to the incident.

During initial investigations, the names of Sardar and Burhan Chandio were excluded from the charge sheet, but were later reinstated on the orders of the Sindh High Court’s Sukkur bench. Both were subsequently granted pre-arrest bail by an anti-terrorism court.