Four people were killed and three others injured in an ambush on Sandral Road, Khushab, Punjab over an enmity.
Raja Mohammad Yaqoob of, a resident of Jhangian, Mohammad Tahir of Dhak, Mohammad Naveed of Bhalwal and Nasr Iqbal of Machhi area were killed in the attack.
Among the injured were Rana Muhammad Aamir of Jhamtanwala, Mohammad Israr and Mohammad Khan of Dhak. Rana Aamir was said to be in a critical condition.
According to police sources, the deceased Raja Yaqoob and seven others, including the driver of the car, were going from Jhangian to Joharabad when a group of assailants opened indiscriminate fire on them on Sandral Road.
The sources said that in 2016, the deceased Yaqoob’s son was killed by members of the Awan group over a dis[1]pute over a trivial matter.
In revenge, Yaqoob’s other son Raja Zeeshan and his accomplice allegedly killed Gulsher Khan, father of Hasham Khan and fled abroad.
He is a proclaimed offender in the murder case. On Monday the death toll from the enmity rose to six with the four fatalities.
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An official told The Express Tribune that those injured in the incident were undergoing treatment at the Khushab District Headquarters Hospital, while the bodies had been shifted to the tehsil hospital.
Sargodha Regional Police Officer Ashfaq Khan reportedly directed the district police officer to reach the spot after the incident. He ordered measures to arrest the attackers at the earliest.
He also directed all DPOs of the division to expedite the cases of personal enmities on merit.
Khushab DPO Muhammad Naveed visited the spot where Punjab Forensic Science Agency and Crime Scene Unit were present to gather evidence.
Later in the evening, relatives of the deceased protested along with the bodies at the Katha Chowk in Khushab and blocked the traffic on Sargodha-Mianwali road.
They demanded immediate arrest of the attackers. A former chairman of the union council of the area, Masood Nazir, said he was trying to reconcile the two groups.
However, he urged the police to bring the perpetrators to justice. Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also sought a report on the incident from the RPO.
Expressing sympathy with the families of the deceased, he said that the murderers should be brought to justice as soon as possible.
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