KARACHI: The funeral prayers of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Sindh's minister of planning and development who was found dead alongside his wife earlier on Thursday, will be offered in Kashmore, his ancestral village, today (Friday).

The provincial minister and his wife, Fariha Razak Haroon, were found dead Thursday morning at their residence here in the city's Defence locality. While the guard and servants heard some noise and the gunshots in the house, they did not open the room as per orders until the son of the deceased arrived.

Bijarani's body was moved from Sukkur to his ancestral town Kurrampur in Kashmore District in the form of a procession. Earlier, the body was flown via helicopter from Karachi to Sukkur Airport.

On the other hand, the funeral prayers and burial of his wife, Fariha Razak, will take place in Karachi today.

Sounds of gunshot at 6:30 AM

Members of the Bijarani family and officials of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) confirmed to Geo News Thursday that Bijarani and his wife were found dead at their home, having suffered gunshot wounds.

Soon after, a large number of law-enforcement personnel reached the residence and cordoned off the premises.

An investigation was subsequently launched into the deaths of Bijarani and his wife, with the police stating that this seems to be a very open case.

According to the authorities, a statement from the Bijarani's guard during the investigation revealed he heard noises at 6:30 AM, on Thursday morning, following which he heard what sounded like gunshots.

None of the servants was allowed to go to the first floor by themselves, where Bijarani and his wife lived. After the ruckus, the guard said he woke up a servant but said both waited for the minister to open the door until 10:30 AM, which is when his son was called.

Upon the son's arrival, the door was opened to the bodies lying near the bathroom of the study room; Bijarani's body was on the sofa, with a pistol lying near his legs, while that of his wife was on the floor, a few feet away.

The minister was shot at in the temple from a very close range. However, authorities said there was no sign of struggle.

Police said they are waiting for the fingerprints and forensics report as well as the complete post-mortem, after which an official statement will be released to the media as a press note.

Bijarani's life and political career

Bijarani was born on July 10, 1946, in Karampur, Sindh, and belonged to a family that was prominent in the PPP as well as Sindh politics. He completed his Bachelors from National College Karachi, later doing his MA in political science and LLB from Sindh Muslim Law College.

In 2013, Bijarani was elected from the PS-16 constituency of Jacobabad-Kashmore. He also represented the constituency in 1974 and 1977.