HARIPUR: Two persons, including sister of slain journalist Sohail Khan, were killed here in separate incidents, police said on Wednesday.

The first murder case was reported from Hattar village where according to police sister of late Sohail was gunned down by members of their rival group.

The police quoted Farrukh Khan, younger brother of Sohail, as saying that Musarrat Iqbal and his son Humayun barged into their house and opened fire at his sister Rida Bibi, 28, a mother of two, injuring her critically.

She was taken to rural health centre, Kotnajib-ullah, but did not survive.

On Oct 16, 2018, Sohail Khan was on way back home by his van after dropping schoolchildren when armed men opened fire and killed him.

Sohail’s family had charged Musarrat Iqbal and his sons Ali Sher and Humayun for the murder.

However, after a trial of about two years the model criminal court, Haripur, acquitted them last month as the prosecution failed to prove the case.

The accused, according to the police, again barged into the house of late Sohail two weeks ago, resorted to firing in the air and allegedly beat up his father. The police had arrested Iqbal while his two sons were at large after registration of the case.

Meanwhile, Sohail’s mother and family members blocked the Haripur-Taxila Road near Hattar in protest against the murder of Sohail’s sister.

They criticised the Haripur police for their failure to arrest the accused.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2021