Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Women Wing's central leader Samrah Batool was gunned down in a triple murder in Mandi Town.
District Police Officer (DPO) Shehzad Rafiq Awan said the triple murder took place in the Mandi Town area near Mill Gate.
Samrah Batool was reportedly living independently at the time of the attack.
Two men were also killed in the incident, including a man named Irfan Bhatti. The third victim has yet to be officially identified.
Initial investigations suggest the killings were the result of a targeted assault, but the exact motives remain unknown.
Forensic and crime scene investigation teams reached the spot, while CCTV footage from nearby shops is being collected to piece together the sequence of events.
Samrah Batool's son, Yasir Abbas and her cousin Zain told police that Irfan Bhatti had come to visit Batool at her residence. They left the house briefly to withdraw cash from a nearby outlet.
When they returned, they found the lifeless bodies of Samrah Batool and the two men.
Based on CCTV evidence and preliminary forensic analysis, police believe a man identified as Sanaullah first opened fire on Samrah Batool and Irfan Bhatti before turning the weapon on himself in what appears to be a double murder-suicide.
Forensic experts noted a gunshot wound to the right side of Sanaullah's head, with burn marks around the wound consistent with a self-inflicted shot at close range.
The three bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem examination. Legal proceedings have been initiated and police say they are pursuing all possible angles to ascertain the facts.
Bhakkar DPO said that the culprits, if any remain at large, will be apprehended within 24 hours and brought to justice.
In a separate incident in the Jhok Lal Shah area of Panjgiran, a man stabbed and killed his elder brother over a minor verbal dispute.
Police said the suspect, the younger brother, used a knife to fatally wound Naeer Abbas during a heated argument. Locals described the victim as a harmless individual who fell prey to a moment of domestic rage.
The accused fled the scene, and efforts to arrest him are ongoing.
Another act of violence occurred in Jhok Mitho Shah Notak, where a dispute between friends during the opening ceremony of a local shop turned deadly. According to eyewitnesses, the argument began over the distribution of rice.
Tempers flared, and one of the individuals pulled out a weapon and fatally shot his friend in front of the gathering. Police have cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt for the suspect.
A fatality occurred in Kotla Jam, where a young man lost his life in an apparent accident. The victim, who was bathing in a tubewell, sustained a critical head injury and drowned.
Authorities suspect the injury caused unconsciousness, leading to the accidental death.
Political activists said Samrah Batool was a prominent figure in the district's political landscape.
Bhakkar District Police Officer Shehzad Rafiq Awan, while speaking to The Express Tribune, emphasised that a full-scale investigation is under way and that all relevant agencies, including forensic teams, are actively working on the cases.
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