BAHAWALPUR / VEHARI, April 26: Eight members of a family, four children among them, and a maid were slaughtered while they were sleeping in their house in Mauza Luddan Riasti village early on Saturday. The village straddles the border between Bahawalpur and Vehari districts.

The deceased included the head of the family, Mohammad Ibrahim, his wife Faiz Elahi, son Farooq Ahmad, Ruqqaiya (Farooq’s wife), Ibrahim’s second son Mohammad Yusuf, 10, daughter Zeenat and one Khansa, 5 and another relative, Abdur Rehman. Hafza, who was identified as the household’s maid, also lost her life in the pre-dawn attack.

Ibrahim’s servant Rab Nawaz was the only survivor, police said.

Hasilpur DSP Sharafat Husain told Dawn by phone that some of the family members had been killed by some sharp-edged weapon and others had been shot dead. The DSP attributed the mass murder on a land dispute between Ibrahim and one of his relatives, Faiz Bukhsh.

Dawn learnt that Ibrahim, a resident of Dokota Town near Tibba Sultanpur in Vehari, had a dispute over land with Faiz Bakhsh and other relatives. Ibrahim sold the property and later moved along with his family to the village.

Bahawalpur District Police Officer Babar Sarfraz has initiated an inquiry. The Qaimpur police have registered a murder case and the bodies were taken to the Hasilpur Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

According to another source, Abdur Rehman, one of the family members who was asleep on the roof of the house, had tried to escape after hearing gunshots and cries but was caught by the assailants and killed.

Habibur Rehman, another of Ibrahim’s sons, who was not at home at the time of the incident, told Dawn that about one-and-a-half-years ago, Ibrahim had killed his daughter Kulsoom “to protect his honour”. He said Kulsoom’s husband, Qasim, was pursuing a case against Ibrahim. A few months ago, Qasim’s uncle Hassan Bakhsh of Karampur had threatened Ibrahim and his family because of this as well as the land dispute which had already been simmering between them.

A neighbour said: “Even eight hours after the incident, no rescue or police official had reached the spot. The bodies were sent to the hospital after eight hours.”

The Bahawalpur DPO said Rs38,000 in cash had been found from the house which had been handed over to Ismail, one of Ibrahim’s brothers.

Ismail told newsmen that a few years ago, his nephew Farooq had returned from Afghanistan after completing ‘jihadi training’ at a camp of an outlawed sectarian organisation, the Sipah-i Sahaba.

According to him, three members of the family had survived because they were not at home. Habibur Rehman, 15, was in a nearby field and Abdul Rauf, 18, one of Ibrahim’s sons, was at work in a factory in Lahore. Jaweria, Farooq’s six-year-old daughter, had gone over to her aunt’s house in Mailsi.

He said during the past three years, Ibrahim had purchased 57 acres of agricultural land near the village.