GUJRAT: A retired army officer and a woman, mother of nine, were shot dead in two separate incidents in the district on Monday.

As per Sara-i-Alamgir Saddar police, two unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on Zahid Iqbal Awan, a retired major, at Khohar village, leaving him dead on the spot. The assailants fled the scene after killing the ex-army man.

On being informed of the murder, teams of police and forensic experts arrived at the scene and collected evidence, whereas the body was shifted to the Civil Hospital for an autopsy.

Police suspect that old enmity may be the reason behind the killing as Awan had been an accused in the murder case of one Basheer Lumberdar of Khohar village, who was killed in 2014.

Further investigation is underway to trace and arrest the killers.

Police have registered a case against the unidentified attackers under sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of Umair Bin Zahid, son of the deceased.

According to the complainant, his father had moved to Rawalpindi, along with his family, after some issues at the village. He said that on Monday his father was on a visit to the family’s agricultural land and other property in the village when he was gunned down by two unidentified assailants.

In the other incident, a divorced woman, Rashida Parveen, was shot dead by her ex-husband Abdul Aziz at Fatehpur village in Daulat Nagar police precincts. As per local sources, the woman, after being divorced by her husband a few years ago, had been living in the upper storey of Aziz’s house along with their four sons and five daughters.

They say Rashida wanted to marry one of her daughters to someone, but Aziz had objection to the marriage proposal. The former couple would often quarrel over the issue, they add.

On Monday, they say, following exchange of harsh words with Rashida, Aziz took out a pistol, shot her dead on the spot and fled the scene.

Police reached the spot and shifted the woman’s body to the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital for an autopsy.

Police have registered a case against the suspect under section 302 of the PPC on the report of a sister of the deceased woman.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023