Chakwal | Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Friday disposed of a petition filed by the family of nine-year-old Hania Ahmed, who was killed in a shootout in Chakwal last week, seeking the transfer of the case from local police to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The petition was filed by a Pakistani-origin Australian family shot at during a robbery in Chakwal last week by Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD) after officials mistook it as belonging to the robbers. As a result, Hania died on the spot, and other family members sustained injuries. On Friday, LHC Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan wrapped up the case after directing provincial authorities to ensure a completely fair, transparent, and unbiased investigation, and to strictly proceed against the accused officials in accordance with the law. During the proceedings, Punjab Additional Advocate General Imran Shaukat Rao formally informed the bench that a first information report (FIR) had already been registered against the delinquent of...

Admitting the Crime Control Department’s (CCD) mistake in the shooting of a young girl in Chakwal earlier this month, the Punjab police and the CCD said on Thursday that the incident would neither be defended nor covered up under “any circumstances”. They also described the shooting as a case of “criminal negligence”, saying that the CCD official’s lack of training had contributed to his inability to assess the situation correctly. A nine-year-old girl, Hania, was killed and her father and brother were injured last week after officials of the CCD opened fire on their car in the Chakwal city area, mistaking it for that of robbers. Addressing a press conference on the incident on Thursday, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Karim described the incident as “deeply tragic”. He said it would be thoroughly investigated and that the negligence behind the CCD’s actions would be placed on record to ensure those responsible were brought before a court of law. Karim added that no institution could earn publi...

Admitting the Crime Control Department’s (CCD) mistake in the shooting of a young girl in Chakwal earlier this month, the Punjab police and the CCD said on Thursday that the incident would neither be defended nor covered up under “any circumstances”. They also described the shooting as a case of “criminal negligence”, saying that the CCD official’s lack of training had contributed to his inability to assess the situation correctly. A nine-year-old girl, Hania, was killed and her father and brother were injured last week after officials of the CCD opened fire on their car in the Chakwal city area, mistaking it for that of robbers. Addressing a press conference on the incident on Thursday, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Karim described the incident as “deeply tragic”. He said it would be thoroughly investigated and that the negligence behind the CCD’s actions would be placed on record to ensure those responsible were brought before a court of law. Karim added that no institution could earn publi...

CHAKWAL: The post-mortem report of nine-year-old Hania Ahmed, an Australian national who was killed in a shootout in Chakwal on Wednesday night, has confirmed that she sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Adeel Ahmed, 39, his wife Dr Sidra Khan, their daughter Hania Ahmed, 9, and son Aafan Ahmed, 10, were shot at during a robbery when CCD personnel opened fire on their vehicle, mistaking it for that of robbers. As a result, Hania died on the spot, while Adeel and Aafan were critically injured. Dr Khan remained unhurt. The report, available with Dawn, reveals that Hania sustained 10 gunshot wounds. The post-mortem examination was conducted at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Chakwal on the night of June 11. “She was hit by five bullets, which appeared to have been fired from AK-47 rifles. The five bullets caused 10 wounds, as all of them passed through her body, leaving both entry and exit wounds,” a senior doctor at DHQ Hospital told Dawn. The report states that the examination began at 4:27am after the...

Australia seeks probe into Chakwal shooting

LAHORE: The tragic death of a minor girl in a police shootout in Chakwal has been widely covered in the Australian media, as the Crime Control Department (CCD) chief termed the incident a “deviation from the established” standard operating procedures.The incident was covered by ABC, The Guardian, and SBS news outlets, which highlighted that the Perth-based family was on holiday in Pakistan when they were caught in the police crossfire in Chakwal. On June 10, a nine-year-old girl was killed and her father and brother were injured aft­er the police opened fire at their car in Chakwal, mistaking them for robbers. All of th­­­­em were Australian nationals. Adil Ahmad arrived in Pakistan from Makkah with his wife Sidra Khan, 10-year-old son Aqan Ahmad and daughter Hania. He told the inquiry officers that at 9pm on June 10, he was going to attend a family function at his in-laws’ residence in Chakwal. As the car reached outside the CCD’s office, two armed men held them up at gunpoint, snatched valuables from his wi...

At least five people were killed and 27 others injured on Wednesday when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine in the Dhok Pathan area of Chakwal district, rescue officials said.

Nine passengers died and 30 others were injured after the bus they were travelling on fell into a ditch near Balkassar Interchange in Punjab’s Chakwal district on Sunday morning. According to a spokesperson of Chakwal Rescue 1122, the bus was heading to Lahore from Islamabad when one of its tyres burst near the Balkassar Interchange on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M2). The driver lost control of the bus, causing the vehicle to fall into a ditch and overturn. “Nine people died in the accident and 30 were injured,” Dr Saeed Akhter, chief executive officer of the Chakwal District Health Authority (DHA), said in a statement. It added that Chakwal Deputy Commissioner Sarah Hayat and Assistant Commissioner Zeeshan Sharif also visited the injured at the District Healthquarters (DHQ) Hospital. DC Hayat, who was briefed on the accident’s details, directed that all possible medical facilities be provided to the wounded. Eight passengers died on the spot, while one succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, according ...

Gujar khan - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday visited flood-affected areas of Chakwal to oversee relief operations and assess the damage caused by recent torrential rains and flash floods.

CHAKWAL: Rizwan Abid, a dairy farmer, looked distressed as he vainly tried to make his prized bull stand up. The bull, sitting under the scorching sun, was unable to get up, as it was suffering from foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious viral illness wreaking havoc across Punjab for the last two months. The disease has emerged in the province just ahead of Eidul Azha, leaving buyers and sellers in a lurch. Since cattle markets across the province were not shut down to contain the disease, it has spread to many districts. “I have lost a cow and four calves due to this disease, and now my bull is fighting for his life,” Mr Abid told Dawn. His cattle pen is located on the outskirts of Chakwal, where he is rearing 13 animals, including cows and buffaloes. According to him, no government veterinarian ever visited his place for the vaccination. Ironically, the Chakwal livestock department is not even aware of the scale of the havoc that the FMD has been wreaking in Chakwal and Talagang. “Only one case has bee...