Nearly six days after Nasrullah Gadhani had succumbed to fatal bullet injuries, police in his native Mirpur Mathelo finally registered a case for his targeted killing.
Lodged against unidentified armed men, the police included clauses of the anti-terrorism law.
Gadhani was ambushed by three armed assailants in his hometown on May 21. He was initially taken to a hospital in Rahim Yar Khan and later airlifted to Karachi, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment on May 24.
The Mirpur Mathelo police said the FIR was registered on a complaint lodged by Gadani's mother, Ms Pathani, under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including premeditated murder, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation, as well as Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 1997.
Even though a video had surfaced where the slain journalist had accused local influential politician, MNA Khalid Lund and his family of targetting him, the FIR was lodged against unidentified armed assailants.
Sukkur DIG Pir Mohammed Shah stated that the police have been investigating the case from all angles, including Gadhani's potential opponents. However, he admitted that the police have yet to obtain any clear leads to the culprits, and the case remains one of "blind" murder.
Despite that, DIG Shah said they had detained and questioned several suspects but were forced to release them because they did not have sufficient evidence to charge them with a crime.
Meanwhile, the Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners (CJMP) had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the initial investigation team and demanded the Inspector General of Police form a new committee. The CJMP had specified that the new team should not include police officers from Sukkur to avoid any suspicion of being influenced.
Separately, lawyers hailing from different cities of Sindh pointed to legal flaws in the FIR.
"The FIR seems weak in nature and has left very narrow room for the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt," claimed Advocate Haq Nawaz Jamari from Hyderabad. He further said that an unbiased investigation would be able to address the loopholes left in the FIR.
Advocate Faiz and Ahmed Chandio proposed handing over investigations to a team of honest police officers who are not below the rank of DSP to ensure
However, Advocate Zubair Butt claimed that the local SHO seemed less cooperative while lodging the FIR and did not provide sufficient opportunity for the complainant to narrate the story.
The registration of the case marks a crucial step towards securing justice for Gadhani's family and the journalist community.