NAROWAL, Oct 14: Seven people, five of a Gujjar family and two passersby, were killed and two others injured by their rivals here on Manak Road near Dera Sain Niamat on Monday at about 8.30am.

Ghulam Ghaus, of Kot Salakhan village, was on his way to Narowal with his brothers and other relatives to appear in court in a murder case.

When they reached Dera Sain Niamat on Manak Road, the brothers of their rival Zulfiqar Khan of Kharal village, ambushed them and began firing on them with their automatic weapons.

Ghulam Ghaus’s sons Liaquat Ali, Ashraf Ali and Mushtaq Ali, Akhtar Ali (his cousin), Ghulam Murtaza (his nephew), and two passersby, Muhammad Ali of Mangian and Sharafat of Manak village, died on the spot.

Ghaus and his brother Ishaq, sustained serious bullet injuries. They were shifted to Narowal DHQ hospital and are said to be out of danger.

City police have started the investigation.

About nine months back, Ghulam Ghaus and his brothers had murdered Zulfiqar Khan, head of the accused family, in a dispute between the two families about the path that led to the kiln in Kharal village owned by the Khan family.