HARIPUR, June 20: Two brothers were shot dead and four others were injured, two of them seriously, when two rival group clashed in village Panian some 4km on the main GT road from here on Wednesday night.

The victims had lost three brothers in a feud with another group two years back, and were also reportedly declared absconders in two identical cases. However, according to police none of the groups lodged an FIR.

According to the villagers there was a clash between Taj group of village Paharo and Raees Khan of village Panian over a minor dispute about a Suzuki pick-up which reportedly led to an exchange of fire twice between two groups. The victims’ party was also accused by the attackers for kidnapping their two persons including a woman the other day.

According sources three brothers Raees Khan, Khan Afsar Khan, brother Sultan Afsar, and their nephew Ali Aksar son of Safdar were sitting near their house when at around midnight some persons from the Taj party sprayed bullets on them with Kalashnikov rifles and they too responded.

As a result Raees Khan and his brother Khan Afsar Khan died; the third brother Sultan Afsar and nephew Ali Aksar were injured.

According to the Raees group, more than two persons from the attackers’ side were also wounded but their supporter managed to remove them from the scene to an unknown place.

All the injured and the dead were shifted to DHQ Haripur by the police after a delay of four hours. Ali Aksar and Sultan Afsar were transferred to Ayub Medical Complex in critical condition.