MUZAFFARABAD: A PTI leader and former chairman of the Zakat and Ushr Committee in Barnala tehsil of Bhimber district was shot dead in an armed ambush on Thursday near Pingali Mor.

A woman and a child sustained critical injuries after being caught in the crossfire.

According to a police application, Chaudhry Adalat was returning from the Barnala courts along with his nephew and a friend when unidentified assailants, who had allegedly taken positions along the route in advance, opened indiscriminate fire on their vehicle.

Mr Adalat sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot, while the two other occupants of the vehicle escaped unhurt. Police said a woman and a child passing through the area at the time of the attack were struck by stray bullets and shifted to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

The attackers fled the scene in a black car immediately after the assault. Police officials said Mr Adalat had been implicated in multiple cases pending before different courts, which had led to enmities with several individuals.

They said investigations were underway from multiple angles and a manhunt had been launched to trace and arrest the assailants. After completion of legal formalities, the body was handed over to the deceased’s family, including his brothers Chaudhry Dilawar and Chaudhry Mudassar Mehndi.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026