VEHARI, April 27: The eight members of a family and their maid, who were slain while they were asleep at their house, were laid to rest amid hundreds weeping at Mauza Haleem Khichi in Mailsi tehsil of Vehari on Sunday.

Haji Ibrahim and seven members of his family, four children among them, and a maid were ‘butchered’ and then shot dead by assailants on Saturday midnight over what police claimed a simmering enmity.

A large number of people from all walks of life – relatives, neighbours and workers of a political party -- attended the funeral prayers for the nine ill-fated people. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leader Maulana Gul Muhammad, who was one of the participants, said his party would launch a protest campaign if the police did not arrest the culprits during the next few days.

The Qaimpur police had already registered a case against 17 people on the report of Allah Ditta, the brother-in-law of Haji Ibrahim, under sections 302/109/148/149 of PPC and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Those nominated among the suspects were: Dhamman Bhabha, Mazhar Bhabha, Wazir Bhabha, Iqbal Shah and Aghaz Husain Shah.

Haji Ibrahim had purchased 10 acres from Aghaz Shah, the Kalia Shah union council nazim of Karampur Town. The family suspected that he might be the man behind the target killings.

A few days ago, a resident of the area, Mazhar Bhabha, took away cotton of Haji Ibrahim and hurled death threats at him.

Aghaz Shah, while responding to a Dawn query, denied the allegation.