15 injured in aerial firing at wedding ceremony in Faisalabad

Groom’s friends fired in jubilation forcing guests to run for cover

FAISALABAD: At least 15 people were injured in aerial firing during a wedding ceremony in Faisalabad on Sunday.

A police official said that a marriage cremony was under way in 106-GB village within Saddar police station limits. He added that friends of the groom resorted to aerial firing in jubilation.



He maintained that as a result of heavy firing, guests ran to take cover but 15 of them, including children, suffered bullet injuries. The injured were shifted to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital for treatment. The victims included one-year-old Madiha, 10-year-old Ayesha Latif, nine-year-old Mahek, eight-year-old Farhan Bashir and five-year-old Tayyaba Shaukat.

Soon after the incident, Saddar Police Station In charge Khalid Gujjar reached the spot with heavy police contingent and arrested 18 people, including the bride’s father Muhammad Safdar and uncle Abdul Rasheed.

Police have locked the accused behind bars and registered a case against them. Further investigation is under way.

Earlier, a girl was killed in an aerial firing incident in Sitiana police limits.

Police said that Rizwan, and his friends Farooq, Saif, Hassan and others resorted to aerial firing in front of their rival Ali Raza in Chak No 433-GB, within Sitiana police station limits.



During the firing, a bullet hit 14-year-old Muqaddas who was standing on the roof of her house. She suffered bullet injuries and died on the spot.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2018.