Man gunned down over longstanding feud

Police say bystander in barber shop was injured by stray bullet

ISLAMABAD:

Armed men shot and killed a 45-year-old man identified as Qamar Ameer Ranjha in I-8 Markaz in the limits of I-9 police station in the federal capital.

According to police, Ranjha, a resident of Miyana Gondal village in Mandi Bahauddin district, was living in a rented house in Islamabad. On Friday morning, he left home with his employee to pick up his wife and children. While driving near a petrol pump on I-8/4, unknown assailants in a vehicle opened fire on him.

Although Ranjha initially evaded the attackers by sharply turning his car, it eventually crashed into a tree and a pavement.

Ranjha fled on foot with his employee, attempting to hide in an under-construction plaza. However, the attackers pursued him and fatally shot him. His employee managed to escape unharmed, as he was not targeted. During the incident, a bystander sitting in a nearby barber shop was injured by a stray bullet.

According to the police, the victim's family said that the killing is linked to a longstanding feud between Ranjha's family and two rival groups from Mandi Bahauddin—Bilal Samwana and Bohar Group—who accuse Ranjha's family of being involved in six murders.

The police handed over the body to the victim's family. The indiscriminate shooting sparked fear and panic in the busy commercial area.