Police in Sindh’s Kandhkot district have launched a crackdown against the Sundrani tribe over the murder of Professor Ajmal Sawand, who was shot dead a day earlier. The professor, a PhD in computer science from France, was laid to rest in Nao Pind graveyard, Sukkur on Thursday night.

His funeral prayer was offered at Shikarpur Phatak Airport Road Sukkur.

Professor Ajmal Sawand was shot dead by armed assailants, allegedly members of the Sundrani tribe, on Thursday over a 5-year-old honour killing dispute.

He was traveling to Sukkur from his native village Jam Sawand when assailants opened fire on him near Shallu Khan. He received a bullet in the heart which caused his death.

The dispute between Sawand and Sundrani tribes started five years ago in which 5 people have been killed including a woman.

The police had not yet registered an FIR into the murder of Sawand as of Friday afternoon. However, it launched the crackdown based on earlier police cases.

Police officers destroyed at least ten houses running them over with armored vehicles. The structures were also set on fire.

Journalist Riaz Sohail shared a video in which police vehicles can be seen demolishing the houses of accused Sundrani tribesmen.

Ajmal Sawand’s education journey

Sawand received his primary education from Mehran Public School Kandhkot.

He then managed to get admission to Cadet College Larkana earning the Matriculation and Intermediate certifications.

Then, Ajmal secured admission to Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro and completed his Bachelor in Engineering (B.E) in Software Engineering.

Then, he acquired his master’s degree in Computer Science (Web Intelligence) from University Jean Monnet Saint Etienne. Ajmal completed and defended his PhD on May 11, 2015, from Paris Descartes University.

He was married to his cousin and had two sons Rehan and Aran. His wife is pregnant with another child.

Condemnations

People from different walks of life including politicians, social activists, journalists, and civil society members condemned his murder on social media.

Federal Minister for Benazir Income Support Programme Shazia Atta Marri said “Sindh is the land of Sufis where such brutality cannot be tolerated.”

The Opposition leader of the Sindh Provincial Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh also condemned the professor’s murder and wrote in a tweet that “he did not survive in our society where tribal conflict is prevalent.”

Shama Junejo, a columnist and political scientist, said Ajmal could have lived a better life in France but he chose to return to his homeland to teach the Sindhi youth.

Sukkur DIG Javed Jiskani Baloch also condemned the murder and said “it’s a cold-blooded murder by the enemies of our progress.”

Moreover, a video went viral on social media in which Ajmal can be heard encouraging and motivating school students.

“Forget positions, they do not matter, I went to Paris on scholarship even though I was a mediocre student. I taught foreigners in the French language wearing this outfit (Pakistani attire). They were paying me Rs 30,000 per hour, but I left France because I wanted to teach my own people.”