MUZAFFARABAD: Two teenage brothers were shot dead and their father sustained gunshot wound at the hands of the latter’s cousin over a petty dispute in Bhimber district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday, police said.

SSP Bhimber Raja Muhammad Akmal told Dawn by telephone that the gruesome incident occurred in the wake of an exchange of hot words between Tehseen Jamshaid and his paternal cousin Mohammad Tariq and his sons Usama, 18, and Amir, 16, earlier in the day when some goats had reportedly entered the former’s field in Salawaan village, around 14 kilometres on the outskirts of Bhimber city.

According to the initial information, when the victims were returning home, they had another round of argument with Mr Jamshaid outside his residence, the SSP added.

As the victims went inside the accused house supposedly to sort out the issue, he shot at them with a 12-bore repeater gun, which left both boys dead on the spot.

Mr Tariq suffered a bullet wound in his shoulder but was out of danger. Incidentally, Mr Tariq’s son-in- law Zulfiqar Goga was also present in Mr Jamshaid’s house at the time of firing but both fled from the scene and were still at large.

The SSP said that since immediately Mr Tariq was unable to record his statement before the police about the incident, the police had in the meanwhile asked his youngest son to lodge an application in this regard or else the police would be compelled to register a case on their own.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2023