LAHORE – On the 5th of January, Haji Maqbool Ahmad (63), of Engineers Town, was reading a newspaper on his terrace when a stray bullet hit him in the back and he died instantly. His autopsy report confirmed that the bullet removed from his body matched other stray bullets recovered from the area, bullets that residents allege originate at the Army Firing Range, about 2.5 kms from Haji Maqbool’s house.
A Pakistan Today investigation into the incident reveals that residents of nearby communities claim bullets from the Army Firing Range have claimed 10 lives, including 3 women, and caused numerous injuries over the course of several years.
Conversations with residents of the Engineers Town and Nangarh village reveal the army firing range on Defence Road, now engulfed by the residential territory, has long been a bone of contention with residents further claiming bullets from the range cross over and kill their animals. .
A survey of the area by Pakistan Today reveals numerous buildings, including the police deputy superintendent’s home and the Engineer’s Town society office, shops and houses have walls pocked with bullet holes. As a consequence, residents demanded the closure and shifting of the firing range to a safer area.
A security official confirmed to Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity that the bullets found in the Engineer’s Town and Nangarh Village were from light machine guns (LMGs) or G-3 rifles. He said the rifles did have a range of approximately 3.5 kilometers.
Son of the deceased
‘We complained before
the bullet hit’
The son of deceased Haji Maqbool Ahmad, Jawad Ahmed said, “We. shifted to Engineer’s Town three months ago and I do not remember a single day passing where I did not hear gunfire. Since the incident the family is afraid and rarely goes to the terrace. I visited the firing range before my father’s death to record a complaint about the bullets, which would often hit the walls of our home, but no one paid me any attention.” Jawad also said that the Kahna Police Station was reluctant to register a murder First Information Report (FIR) for his father’s death but they registered a case after pressure from higher police officials was exerted. “After the registration of the case, army officials came to our home with a GPS device to mark the distance from our home but they said nothing to us,” he said.
Nangarh village residents
‘We are sick of firing’
Nangarh village is located to the East of Engineer’s Town. It is much older than the colony. The day Pakistan Today arrived at the village, the residents made an announcement on the village mosque’s loudspeaker, calling all those affected by the Chand Marri firing range. About 40 men and women turned up and registered their names amongst those affected. A number showed their injuries to our reporter.
The Nangarh village numberdar Saleem confirmed to Pakistan Today that a number of village residents had been killed and many more had sustained bullet injuries due to the stray bullets.
“Villagers are sick of the firing and many have sold their lands and left,” Saleem said. “A number of women have been hit by bullets when doing household chores, there is not a single family in this village that has not been affected.”
Allah Ditta, ex-councilor of Nangarh, revealed, “Residents of the village have blocked Defence Road many a time and staged a protest in front of the firing range, but all in vain. Officials at the range first refused to meet us. Then they consoled us saying they would make announcements in the village mosque before firing practice, but this has never happened.”
“I, myself, was hit by a bullet in my left leg while I was working in the field,” he said,”I have lived in the village for 40 years. Now we are used to the firing. But I do not know why authorities have not forced the firing range to move to another area.”
Zahid Mehmood, 60, resident of same village, told Pakistan Today he had been hit on the hand by a bullet and his two sons Iftikhar Ahmad and Ghulam Haider had also received bullet injuries from stray fire from the army range. “Many of my livestock had also been shot down by the bullets, leaving me financially crippled. My son, Iftikhar. Still carries the bullet in his body.” Iftikhar said he was sitting in his garage when the bullet hit him near his kidney. “I barely survived,” he said.
Nangarh residents further questioned the role of the police. They said, “When someone reveals a bullet injury they are rushed to General Hospital but doctors refuse to treat the injured claiming that a police case needs to be registered. Police, knowing the army is involved, do not register a case. We have to request army officials to talk to the hospital administration to admit the patients”
Superintendent Police Model Town Ayaz negated the allegations by villagers claiming police had always helped the paper and there was not a single case that had not been filed by police. He said a police chowki was available in all government hospital and a chowki officer would contact the concerned Police Station if any bullet injures are reported and the injured is admitted.
Army officials
‘Residential colony should
never have been there’
An army officer, who formerly served at the mentioned firing range, on anonymity admitted to Pakistan Today that there were some chances a bullet could ricochet outside the range. However he claimed the Chandi Marri firing range was one of the oldest firing ranges in Pakistan and the chances of a bullet ricocheting from the range were slim. He said the area from where a shooter opens fire was about 500m behind the firing buttress (target area) and a protecting wall stops bullets from crossing over.
He also claimed the Numberdaar of the village and people of the area were given the firing program before practice. He negated allegations of daily firing. He said firing range training was routine for soldiers and the schedule provided was a precautionary measure. He said LMG’s and G-3’s were fired during training but insisted chances of a bullet ricocheting were almost none.
A second army official claimed that the residential area should itself have never been there and the Engineers’ Town administration should be held solely responsible for the death of Haji Maqbool Ahmed. He claimed LDA authorities must be questioned on approving the construction of a housing society near the firing range. Responding to a question on the existence of the village, he answered that villagers were provided the firing schedule.
An ex-army source suggested a solution to the problem could be widening and broadening the walls of the firing range.
Data available with Pakistan Today shows the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) advertised a no-objection note on 4.10.1992 making an open invitation that “any party which holds an objection regarding the society should object with LDA” but LDA sources claim no one objected to the creation of the society.
Engineers Town President Chaudary Rasheed Khan told Pakistan Today that they had written to the Station Commander Lahore on several occasions to shift the firing range to a safer area but nothing was done about it. He said the death of Haji Maqbood Ahmed had meant people were now hesitating from buying plots in the society as the threat of the firing range to residents had become clear.
