LAHORE: A group of suspected land grabbers shot dead a girl and wounded five others, including two women, over a land dispute in the city’s Defence area the other day.
A video of the incident, which took place in Noor Bakhsh Chalaar village at Barki Road in the jurisdiction of the Defence Area (C) police station, shows the suspects barging in and opening fire on the unarmed people belonging to a poor Christian family.
According to police, the main suspect — identified as Irshad Kamboh — and his accomplices opened fire at the family of Rafiq Masih, with the video confirming that they kept firing obsessively.
The deceased was identified as 18-year-old Sonia, who died on the spot. Four others, including Asia, Shahnaz, Nazeer Masih and Rafiq Masih were severely wounded and shifted to a nearby hospital.
Police said they had moved the body to the morgue and initiated an investigation into the matter. So far only two suspects have been taken into custody.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PTI MNA Shunila Ruth said that the brazen gun attack had left the entire community shocked.
“The victims belong to a Christian family which is settled on the land since 1936. The assailants have frequently made attempts to grab the piece of land measuring 24 kanals and keep on implicating the male members of the family in false cases,” she said, adding that she has asked the SP Cantt to ensure a fair investigation into the case and ensure justice to the victims.
