LAHORE: Mandi Bahauddin is not a big district population-wise in Punjab but it has the worst crime record in the entire province in terms of murders.

According to police record, 29 people, including children and women, have allegedly been murdered in the district during the first 58 days of this year.

Lethal weapons were used in almost 95 per cent cases which stemmed from petty family feuds and old enmities.

In a recent deadly attack on Feb 23, some 20 gunmen riding bikes and cars shot dead two rivals and a passerby on Phalia tehsil court premises. The firing was so intense that it left a number of people injured and caused a stampede in the court.

Dawn spoke to a couple of police officers and a bureaucrat who had served in the district to know the reasons behind the bloodshed.

According to them, political rivalries between known and influential parliamentarians and their meddling in police and administrative affairs were one of the major reasons of breakdown of law and order.

They said Mohammad Khan Bhatti, former principal secretary to ex-chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, had a role in appointing officials of his choice from lower ranks to DC and DPO since he belonged to the area and wanted to establish his influence.

They said delay in deciding property disputes by lower courts was another reason of high murder rate.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2023