Man, two sons shot dead

A man and his two sons were shot dead near Saggian Bridge in Shahdara while they going for a court hearing.

The victim, Safdar and his sons Yasir and Nasir, were attacked by four men on motorbikes. The attack also left Safdar's another son, Jafar, injured. He was transferred to Mayo Hospital.

Deputy Inspector General Operations Faisal Kamran said after inspecting the crime scene that the murder was linked to a feud dating back to 2015, when the suspect, Abdul Ghafoor, has allegedly sought to avenge his son Muhammad Afzal's death. According to the police, Abdul Ghafoor and his accomplices, including Usman, had ambushed the victims' rickshaw.

The rickshaw driver escaped injury in the attack.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif sought an urgent report on the incident from the Lahore capital city police officer and expressed condolence with the family of the victims.

She directed authorities concerned to ensure swift action in the case, vowing that the perpetrators would face justice. Punjab Police Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar ordered comprehensive investigation and mobilised resources to apprehend the attackers.

DIG Kamran said the collection of evidence was under way and teams had been formed to track down the assailants.

Meanwhile, the body of a 35-year-old man was found in a vacant plot near Tokay Wali Pully in the Sabzazar area. Identified as Afzal, the deceased worked as a house painter. Family members said that Afzal had been strangled as indicated by marks on his neck.

Police transported the body to a hospital for post-mortem on Edhi Ambulance, while forensic evidence was collected from the spot.

Police officials stated that the cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem report.