The body of Birhamani, 40, a reporter for the Daily Sindhu
Hyderabad, was found outside his hometown of Wahi Pandhi, Sindh province, on
May 10, a day after he was reported kidnapped. The Pakistan Federal Union of
Journalists and the media support group Pakistan Press Foundation reported that
his body was badly scarred and showed evidence of torture.
Birhamani’s family believed he was killed because of his
reporting on ethnic issues in Sindh province, the journalists union said. A
colleague told the newspaper Dawn that Birhamani’s story on the marriage of a
12-year-old girl to a 22-year-old man might have been the specific trigger for
the attack. Birhamani had received threats from members of the Lashari tribe
just days before he was seized, the press foundation said.
Hundreds of journalists turned out for a march to protest
his killing. Dawn quoted some of the demonstrators as saying that police were
reluctant to investigate because of political sensitivities. The journalists
union said Birhamani had worked for many years for various Sindhi-language
dailies. He left behind a wife, two sons, and a daughter.