PESHAWAR: Seven people, including four brothers, were gunned down as two rival groups traded fire over a minor issue in the Mian Essa area of Nowshera on Monday, police said.

Police registered FIRs against both the groups.

Some residents claimed that after killing four brothers, the gunmen ran away but locals chased them and killed three of them, including a man and his two sons.

One the first information reports (FIRs) of the incident was lodged by Bismeen, the mother of the four slain brothers, including Wahid Ali, Zahid, Salehuddin and Mohammad Ali. Three of them were married.

The three, killed from the rival side, were identified as Zarghun Shah and his sons Gul Mohammad and Majid.

Complainant Bismeen told the police that she was at home along with her three sons Wahid Ali, Mohammad Ali and Salehuddin, while her fourth son, Mohammad Zahid, was working in an agricultural field nearby.

She added that after hearing noise outside, her sons stepped out, while she watched from the doorway. She claimed that she found a woman, Meena Angreza, wife of Zarghun Shah, arguing with her son, Mohammad Zahid.

As her sons attempted to calm down the situation, she claimed that Zahoor, Majid and Shahzad, sons of Zarghun Shah, who were allegedly standing armed on the rooftop of their house, opened fire after being instigated by their mother.

Salehuddin and Mohammad Ali lost life on the spot, while Mohammad Zahid and Wahid Ali sustained injuries and died on the way to the hospital.

The police said the dispute reportedly stemmed from an argument over the fencing of the land by Zahid.

In a separate FIR lodged by Jamila, widow of Gul Mohammad alias Zahoor, she alleged that Hassan Din, Wahid Ali, Saleh, Mohammad Ali and an unidentified person showed up outside their house carrying weapons and started abusing her father-in-law, Zarghun Shah.

She claimed that her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law tried to pacify the accused, but the latter opened fire.

According to the complainant, her husband Gul Mohammad alias Zahoor, father-in-law Zarghun Shah and brother-in-law Majid attempted to flee to save their lives, but were chased and shot dead.

The incident created panic in the area, prompting deployment of a heavy contingent of policemen, who cordoned off the locality and launched an investigation.

The police registered separate cases on the complaint of both sides.

Former nazim of the relevant village council Mir Baz told reporters that Zarghun had shifted from Azakhel area and settled in their village around 18 years ago.

He said that the villagers got infuriated after learning about the murder of the four brothers, so they chased attackers.

“I heard that three of the attackers, including Zarghun and his two sons, were gunned down by the villagers,” he said.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers for the four brothers were attended by a large number of people amid strict security arrangements. Moving scenes were witnessed as the mother of four sons mourned their deaths.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2026