Armed men shot dead 10 persons, including two children and seven women, and injured two others on Wednesday in the outskirts of Faisalabad.
The killings, believed to be the result of old rivalry, are said to have taken place after the victims pursued a murder case against the killers.
According to details, Arshad and his relatives lived in shanties located near the areas of Millat Town, Green Town and Ali Town. Their enemies entered their houses and opened indiscriminate fire, killing Arshad’s sister-in-law Ayesha, Ghulam Fatima, Ramazan Bibi, Hajira, Farzana Bibi, Sakina, and Shareefan along with seven-year-old Ahmed Ali, and 10-year-old Jameel. In addition, Ayesha, 18, and Shazia, 12, received serious bullet wounds and are in critical condition.
According to local residents, the shooting took place in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Sources said the dispute started after the residents of a nearby house let water drain towards the hovels, against which the dwellers complained to the authorities. After lodging the complaint, the owners of the house murdered a rickshaw driver, Muhammad Nazir, some time ago. Nazir’s wife registered a case against the murderers, but started receiving threats after that. Sources said that no one among the accused had been arrested so far.
Meanwhile, Faisalabad Regional Police Officer (RPO) Aftab Cheema has formed special teams to arrest those responsible for the brutal killings. Police has also sent a report about the incident to Punjab Police Inspector General Haji Habib-ur-Rehman, who has ordered immediate arrest of the accused.
