Hyderabad: The Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP) has requested an immediate and independent judicial investigation on the events surrounding the protest of May 20 in Moro, Naushahro Feroze district.
Since the incident occurred in the constituencing of the provincial Interior Minister and the political rivals had been appointed FIRS since the confrontation of the police protest had resulted in multiple injuries on both sides and deaths among the protesters, the commission questioned the impartiality of the investigation led by the police announced by Sindh IGP, said a press release issued by HRCP on Saturday.
“Therefore, we urge the Government of Sindh to announce an independent judicial investigation without delay to establish the facts, guarantee responsibility and maintain the rights of all citizens involved,” he said.
He said that an HRCP research mission had visited Moro to investigate the events that took place after the demonstrations burst along the National Highway against the proposed channel construction on the Indo River and the allocation of land for corporate agricultural projects.
According to community testimonies, the protest led by local residents, including members of the Hari Mazdoor Ittehad group, was peaceful until the police resorted to violent media.
A protester, Irfan Laghari, was seriously injured and then died in a Hyderabad hospital. His family said he had no affiliation with any nationalist group and had been demonstrating peacefully. Shortly after the confrontation, Lanjar House, residence of the Interior Minister of Sindh, was burned.
According to Laghari’s family, individuals armed with heavy weapons, according to reports, deployed to protect the house, had opened fire. Zahid, who did not participate in the protest, but was close to personal matters, supposedly was shot in the head and then succumbed to his wounds. He was 27 years old and his wife was currently waiting for his first child, the family said.
The mission visited Goth Bajrani Laghari, the victim’s village, where they registered statements by the families of the deceased local journalists and teachers and tried to meet with police officers at the Moorish Police Station, but the officer of the house of the station declined to comment, stating that only SSP could talk about the matter.
The SSP could not be contacted because of suspended cell services. The team visited Lanjar House, but no one agreed to meet them.
The mission was informed that more than 400 people had been falsely involved in criminal and terrorism cases and that dozens, including political workers, had been arrested or disappeared. [since then].
In several cases, the first information reports (FIRS) had registered in districts away from Moro, including Shikarpur and Mirpurkhas.
The FIR for the fire caused in Lanjar House called greater opposition figures. Since May 20, mobile services in the area had remained suspended and a visible police presence continued to create an atmosphere of fear among residents, he said.
Posted in Dawn, June 7, 2025
