Case Update Status

Main suspect in journalist Bachal’s murder case held in Ghotki

Summary of Case

On August 27, Awaaz TV reporter from the Ronti Union Council of Ghotki, Bachal Ghunio, was murdered by individuals belonging to the same cast as him, in the fields in Ghotki, Sindh. While the motive behind the murder remains unconfirmed, there are suggestions that the murder took place due to his reporting about issues in the kaccha area in Ronti town, in Ghotki, Sindh. A First Information Report (FIR) (FIR Number 68/2024) was registered on August 27 at the Thana Jeeva Shah on the complaint of Ghunio’s brother Sachal Ghunio against Ghulam Hussain, Ghulam Yaseen, Abdul Qadeer, Tanveer, Ghazi, Abdul Rehman and Shoukat under Section 302, 114, 148, 149, 337H2 PPF 7ATA. As per FIR, the complainant mentioned that Bachal, a reporter for Awaaz TV, aged 44, was a supporter of poor people and was a resident of the kaccha area of Ronti, Ghotki. He said despite living in that area, Bachal would write about the dacoits and their facilitators (sahoolatkars) and their activities. On August 27 at 7:30 am, Sachal, along with Bachal, Allah Sayo Ghunio, and nephew Imran, went to their fields where accused Ghulam Hussain, Ghulam Yaseen, Abdul Qadeer, Tanveer, Ghazi, Abdul Rehman and Shoukat were there. They came holding Kalashnikov guns and said to Bachal: “You post about our dacoit friends who are living in the Kaccha area so that we will stop your voice permanently.” They then straight fired on Bachal, who fell to the floor. Then they pointed guns at us [the others] and asked them to keep quiet. Sachal said that they did nothing, and in all this, Bachal was agonizing from pain, and then he died. The suspects then left while doing aerial firing to keep fear in public. Speaking to PPF on August 28, Sachal said that his brother was posting about kaccha area dacoits on his social media and news channel about an individual stating that he was the leader of the dacoits gang, and due to him, the whole area was affected. “They killed him due to his journalism,” Sachal said, adding that the accused, Shaukat, was arrested while police were searching for others. Upon asking to share the news stories he covered he said that I can’t send you as they took my cellphone too. On August 28, Station House Officer and Investigation Officer Abdul Shakoor Lakho from Wasti Jeevan Shah Thana told PPF that Bachal was killed due to his journalism as he was living in the kaccha area and kept reporting about dacoits and their facilitators (sahoolatkars). Shakoor said that two years ago, Ghunio had an issue with their tribe, which was solved later in a local jirga. He said that police are working on it and trying to arrest the killers and committed to sharing if any arrest will form. On August 28, Shahid Channa, Bureau Chief of Awaaz TV from Sukkur, told PPF that Bachal had an issue two years ago with their tribe, which was solved as he paid the compensation amount. Still, now, the same people killed him as Bachal lives in the kaccha area and also reports about the issues and activities of dacoits and the area. And that time, they killed him because of his journalism, which they asked him before killing him that you were posting about us. Majid Sanghar, the district reporter of Time News, told PPF that there was an issue between Bachal and his tribe over a personal dispute. Bachal was a resident of Ronti, an undeveloped (kaccha) area of Ghotki. He went to the fields In the morning, and the killers fired on him, killing him. Sanghar mentioned that Bachal has seen all the activities of police raids in the kaccha area and clashes between them and reported it multiple times, too. Ali Asghar Rind, reporter of Din News from Ghotki, told PPF that Bachal was killed by his tribe people as he was a good journalist and also so simple. He said that kaccha area criminals kept him warned before not to spy on them for the police or they would kill him. Sanghar mentioned that he was a brilliant journalist and also very active. Allah Waryo Buzdar, the reporter of KTN News, told PPF that Bachal and their tribe had a dispute over some personal issue, which was solved two years later, but when he went to his fields in the morning, the killers were there, and they opened fire on him, and he was killed. Buzdar also mentioned that some months ago, Bachal was attacked, and his wife was murdered. Buzdar also mentioned that the local jirga was held one month ago, and his issue was resolved with the opposite party. Tariq Durrani, bureau chief of Daily Dunya, told PPF that Bachal got killed by his tribe people as his brother confirmed in his video message [do you have the link to the video or video?] that the issue was solved one month ago but they didn’t let him live. On August 28, Mushtaq Laghari, a reporter for Awaz TV, told PPF that Ghunio was killed due to his reporting about the kaccha area, and his brother was not aware of what could be the reason. Still, it’s confirmed that the reason is reporting. As per Express Tribune, Bachal’s son told the media: "The enmity with our relatives was settled, but they still killed my father.” His brother, Sachal Ghunio, complained that the Ghotki police took no action against the assailants who had earlier attacked his brother and killed his sister-in-law. I tried to call Naz Sahito, News Director and Editor of Awaaz TV, twice, and both times, his sons took the call and said that his father was sick and couldn’t talk. Awaaz TV Director of News, Naz Sahito, informed PPF on October 25 that certain influential individuals in the district had been displeased with Ghunio's reporting for some time. Ghunio had been receiving multiple threats, and Sahito strongly believes that his murder is directly linked to his journalistic work. The organization is providing legal assistance to Ghunio's family and has notified the Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Media Practitioners (CPJMP). The Commission responded by taking action and writing letters to the relevant authorities. While police have arrested several suspects, the actual perpetrators remain at large. Ghotki police have successfully apprehended the primary suspect implicated in the murder of journalist Muhammad Bachal Ghuniyo, announcing the capture and the recovery of the murder weapon during coordinated raids on August 28.

Category of Incident

Journalsit murdered over reporting in Kacha area of Ghotki

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: N/A

ICCS Group: N/A

ICCS Class: N/A

ICCS Crime: N/A

Reported By

N/A

Date of incident

27

Month

August

Year

2024

Name of affected person

Bachal Ghunio

Other affected persons

N/A

Name of affected organization

Awaaz TV

Other affected organizations

N/A

Action by

N/A

City

Raunti

Province

Ghotki

Designation

Sukkur

Professional category

Sindh

Age of victim

N/A

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: N/A

Date of compensation announcement by government: N/A

Date of compensation paid by government: N/A

Amount of compensation announced by others: N/A

Date of compensation announced by others: N/A

Date compensation paid by others: N/A

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: Yes

Date of FIR:

FIR Details: "FIR Number 68/2024 "

Police station of FIR: Thana Jeevan Shah

Name of complainant: Sachal Ghunio

Name of accused in FIR: "Ghulam Hussain, Ghulam Yaseen, Abdul Qadeer, Tanveer, Ghazi, Abdul Rehman and Shoukat "

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: Yes

Court where case was presented: N/A

Name of prosecuting lawyer: N/A

Date of first court hearing:

Date of last court hearing:

Status of court case: N/A

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) also strongly condemned the killing and demanded the immediate arrest and punishment of the culprits. The PFUJ revealed that katcha dacoits had previously occupied Bachal’s land and ancestral home and had even attempted to set him on fire. The PFUJ criticized the police for “their traditional delay and negligence” in handling such cases and called for compensation for the families of murdered journalists.

APNS

No version was recorded

CPNE

No version was recorded

PBA

No version was recorded

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

No version was recorded

Employer organization

"On August 28, Shahid Channa, Bureau Chief of Awaaz TV from Sukkur, told PPF that Bachal had an issue two years ago with their tribe, which was solved as he paid the compensation amount. Still, now, the same people killed him as Bachal lives in the kaccha area and also reports about the issues and activities of dacoits and the area. And that time, they killed him because of his journalism, which they asked him before killing him that you were posting about us. "

Press Club Status

Press club 1: Aamir Channa, president of Ghotki Press Club, told PPF that two years ago, a boy committed suicide. He posted a video on his social media before suicide that Bachal was responsible for his death. Then, conflict started in their tribe, and in the last month, the local jirga solved the issue. Ghunio has been fined PKR.10,000,00/=, which he gave to the complainants, and the matter was resolved, but he went to his sugarcane field on Aug 27 morning and the killer killed him, and his body was shifted to Ubauro Hospital Ghotki. Then, his family and local journalists protested outside the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police.

Press club 2: No version was recorded

Press club 3: No version was recorded