A court in Dadu has acquitted all accused in the high-profile triple murder case involving the family of Umm-e-Rabab Chandio.The verdict was announced by Judge Hassan Ali Kalwar of the Model Criminal Trial Court after the case concluded following 450 hearings. The court had reserved its decision a day earlier.
The case pertains to the killing of Umm-e-Rabab Chandio’s grandfather, Karamullah Chandio, father, Mukhtiar Chandio, and uncle, Qabil Chandio, who were murdered in Mehar on January 17, 2018.Given the sensitive nature of the case, Section 144 was imposed across Dadu district on the orders of the Sessions Judge ahead of the verdict. Strict security arrangements were put in place, with six DSPs, 33 SHOs, and more than 700 police personnel deployed inside and around the court premisesAuthorities also restricted entry of unrelated individuals and media into the courtroom, while special arrangements were made to escort complainant Parvez Chandio and petitioner Umm-e-Rabab Chandio.Among the accused, four — Zulfiqar, Ali Gohar, Murtaza, and Sikandar Chandio — had been in jail, while others, including MPA Sardar Ahmed Chandio, Burhan Khan Chandio, Sattar Chandio, and former SHO Karim Chandio, were out on bail.
The case had drawn widespread attention after Umm-e-Rabab Chandio protested delays in registering the FIR by appearing barefoot in a Dadu court. The matter later prompted then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo motu notice and direct that the case be concluded within three months.The acquittal marks the conclusion of one of the most closely followed criminal cases in the region.
