NAROWAL: A woman was shot dead by a patrol police official when she, along with her family, was on her way to attend a wedding ceremony in Daska on Thursday night.

Azhar Mahmood and his family were on their way to Daska from Gulshan-i-Adeel Colony, Kunganwala, by a rickshaw when Akbar Post personnel signalled the rickshaw to stop. The driver allegedly tried to avoid the picket and ASI Waqas Masood opened fire on the rickshaw. Azhar’s wife Tanzeela Azhar, 32, was injured when a bullet hit her and she died within a few minutes.

As the word got around, Sialkot District Police Officer Muhammad Hassan Iqbal, SP Investigation Farooq Amjad and other policemen reached the spot.

Khurram Shahzad Malik, the spokesperson for the district police, said ASI Waqas Masood confessed to opening fire on the rickshaw. He said he opened fire when the driver tried to speed away.

Azhar, who belongs to Gujranwala, told Dawn that there was no picket and a police team chased them when they were about to reach the village to attend a wedding ceremony.

He alleged that the policemen opened fire while being under the influence and this resulted in his wife’s death. He demanded exemplary punishment for the officials who inflicted torment on the family including three children.

The Saddar police registered a case against the ASI and arrested him.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2022