BNAROWAL: Four children drowned in two incidents in Sailkot on Friday while bathing in ponds.

In both cases, two brothers lost their lives.

In the first incident, Muhammad Iqbal, a labourer from Islamabad Mothra Town, Daska in Sailkot, lost his two sons.

According to Rescue 1122, 12-year-old Rizwan Iqbal and 15-year-old Zain Iqbal were bathing buffaloes in a pond.

Rizwan suddenly went into deep water and started drowning. Zain attempted to save his brother but both drowned.

Rescue 1122, with the help of local residents, recovered the bodies and handed them over to the family after completing legal formalities.

In the second incident, farmer Abdul Razzaq’s wife had taken their two sons, eight-year-old Muhammad Umair and nine-year-old Muhammad Mudassar, to the fields in village Adamke Cheema, Daska. While she worked, the boys were bathing in a tubewell pond and drowned.

Local residents retrieved the bodies, and the parents were inconsolable after the sudden loss of their children.

INJURED: A man was injured during a robbery attempt when bandits opened fire after he resisted in Narowal on Friday.

Jafar Hussain, of Lale Wali, Narowal, was returning to his village on a motorcycle from Naji Bank Hajiwala stop. Two unidentified armed motorcyclists stopped him on New Lahore Road, attempting to steal his cash and motorcycle. When Jafar resisted, the robbers shot him and fled the scene.

Rescue 1122 provided first aid and transported Jafar to the Narowal District Headquarters Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.

This incident follows another similar case 15 days prior, where robbers injured police sub-inspector Muhammad Ateeq during a robbery.

Local residents Muhammad Hafeez and Rana Muhammad Shahid expressed their frustration over the police’s inability to apprehend the motorcycle-riding robbers.

Citizens have protested against the rising incidents of street crime and robbery, demanding immediate action from Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar to address the situation.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024