RAWALPINDI: A man was shot dead in the emergency ward of Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) where he was brought after he clashed with his friend over a petty dispute in Dhoke Elahi Bax on Sunday afternoon, police said.

The dispute started over vacating a house which Asif Mehmood, a real estate agent, had rented out to his friend Kasheer Khan.

According to a senior police official, Asif had started bickering with Kaheer’s wife over vacating the house, which infuriated the latter.

Both men then started quarrelling and also fired gunshots which resulted in the injuries of both men. In the crossfire, Asif’s 25-year-old son Bilal was also injured.

Kasheer died on the spot while Asif was shifted to BBH and Bilal to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, police said.

They added that while Asif was in the hospital’s emergency ward where he was being given first aid, another friend of Kasheer, Roshan Khan, entered and shot Asif dead on the hospital bed with the help of his accomplice.

The killing of an injured victim on the hospital bed was the first of its kind which sparked panic and fear among other patients and the hospital staff, police added.

According to police sources, Roshan Khan’s accomplice escaped from the hospital through the emergency ward’s window, while Roshan Khan was apprehended by the police deputed in the hospital.

Police then had to call the Elite Force commandoes at DHQ hospital where Bilal was being treated as they feared that the accomplice would target Asif’s son.

However, the reinforcement of police and commandoes averted any tragedy as heavy deployment was made outside the emergency ward of DHQ hospital.

According to the doctors treating Bilal at DHQ hospital, the 25-year-old had little chance of survival as he had sustained a serious bullet injury to his head.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that: “Today’s clash between two friends which resulted in the death of both had no links with previous murders in Dhoke Elahi Bax. However, police was deployed in the area to avert any further clash.”

Till the filing of this report, none of the heirs of the two men has contacted the police to lodge a murder case, he said.

In addition, the official said police had been deployed at the hospital to avert further clashes. “The bodies of the deceased were removed to DHQ hospital for postmortem,” he added.