President Arif Alvi visits Amal Umer’s house in Karachi

KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday visited the house of Amal Umer, a minor who lost her life after being hit by a stray bullet during a police encounter in Karachi’s Akhtar Colony.

Alvi extended condolences to Amal’s parents and asked them about the details of the incident that occurred on August 13.

According to reports, the president has directed relevant authorities to complete investigation into the incident.

The 10-year-old girl was killed when a policeman opened fire at a robber, who had robbed her family a few minutes earlier.

“We were travelling from Korangi Road towards FTC when a man approached us at the signal and asked us to hand over everything,” Amal’s father, Umer, recalled while speaking on a private TV channel.

“There was a lot of traffic at the signal at the time. The man took my wife’s phone and bag and then told us to roll up the windows and left,” he continued. “As soon as I started the car, we heard a gunshot and a bullet suddenly hit our windshield.”

Naturally, Umer and his wife, Beenish, turned back to check up on their two daughters sitting in the backseat, who they had asked to lie down when they heard the gunshots.

“When I turned, I saw Amal lying in a pool of blood and my other daughter clutching my seat,” Umer said.

Amal Umer’s parents recall horrifying events that led to her death

Panicked, Umer tried to rush to nearby National Medical Centre. “I rolled down my window and asked people to clear the path. We did not know where the bullet had hit, as her hair was in her face and her eyes were open but there was a lot of blood,” he said.

Luckily, they reached the hospital in three to five minutes. But, according to Umer, instead of being given immediate treatment, the hospital staff asked them to take her to Jinnah hospital as she “did not have much time” and this was a medico-legal case.

But the hospital initially did not even help them arrange an ambulance, Beenish said.

By the time an ambulance reached them and they took their daughter to Jinnah Hospital it was too late. Amal had lost the battle for her life by then.