Killer of brother arrested after two years

BOONI: A man, who murdered his elder brother two years ago in Chuinj village of Upper Chitral, has finally been arrested from his village.

The Upper Chitral police in a statement issued on Monday said that on the direction of the district police officer (DPO) the police arrested Syed Nizar Ali Shah, a proclaimed offender, from his native village of Chuinj.

On September 30, 2022, Shah shot dead his elder brother Sardar Ali Shah, son of Buland Shah, outside the latter’s home and walked off the village. It’s strange that the police took two years to arrest the murderer who, it seemed, was hiding in his own area.

The local people had told ChitralToday that Nizar had stopped supply of drinking water to his brother Sardar and in response the latter had blocked the road passing beside his house to Nizar. On Sept 30, 2022, the two brothers exchanged hash words over the issue during which Nizar opened fire at Sardar and escaped on foot carrying the gun.

The deceased’s wife and four children were in Ghizer, in her parents’ house when the incident occurred. Nizar was already involved in scores of terror cases in different parts of KP and had been put under Schedule IV (watch list) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

Before the annual Shandur polo festival in July 2022, he had blocked the road in Chuinj and extorted money from travellers openly, but no action was taken against him.