One killed over land dispute in Pindi

Victim’s widow blames brother-in-law and his spouse

RAWALPINDI:

A dispute between brothers over property within the jurisdiction of Airport police resulted in a shootout, with one of the brothers shot fatally.

According to complaint Shazia Akhtar, she and her husband Wajid Safdar went to their in-laws’ house in Airport police area on Wednesday.

It stated that Wajid had a dispute with his brothers, Sohail and Bilal, and father Safdar over a property and had gone there to resolve the issue.

As per details, Sohail lived with his spouse Mehwish and father at the residence. Bilal also had a share in the house. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Wajid was part of the inheritance. The report added that Wajid had entered into a free-will marriage.

The dispute was over the upper portion of the house which was rented out. Wajid wanted to move in there with his spouse.

However, the situation escalated during the exchange between brothers. According to the complaint, Sohail took out a weapon and fired at his brother.

Initial reports suggested that the father and the other two brothers were also injured in the exchange.

Police said that the family were residents were Abbottabad and had left for the area to perform the last rites of the victim. They added that investigation would resume once they return. Police said it had connected evidence from the crime scene.

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi police chief has sought a report of the incident from the Potohar superintendent of police and ordered the station house office of the airport police to ensure the case is investigated as per law.

It warrants mention that the victim’s father, Safdar, served as a guard for a former high-ranking government official.

‘Callous’ cops

A family that was tortured and robbed after bandits broke into their residence in the Chota Bazaar area of Sadiqabad police had to wait for three hours to get their complaint registered as the police station was out of paper.

According to Ahsan Ali, armed dacoits entered his residence at dawn and held the family at gunpoint. They took Rs1 million cash, several mobile phones and other valuables including gold. The armed robbers also tortured and assaulted the people in the house.

He said the Rescue 15 helpline was unresponsive so he went to the police station. However, he was made to wait for three hours as the officer on duty said that they were out of paper.

Even after submitting the application, the police failed to visit the crime scene to collect evidence, said Ali. “If the police had acted in time, the accused could have been traced and arrested.”

He urged the Punjab chief minister and police chief to take notice of the ‘callous attitude’ of the policemen.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2023.