BAHAWALNAGAR: The district police claimed to have arrested a youth for allegedly killing his father, a lawyer, whose murder case wasinitially registered against four unidentified armed men on the complaint of the victim’s widow a week ago.

Police alleged that the lawyer’s only son killed him over a family dispute and later confessed to the crime during the investigation.

However, an audio clip of the victim’s widow - who is also the complainant in the case - has gone viral on social media in which she rejects the police claim, alleging that her son made the confession under duress.

According to the FIR registered with B-Division Police, four unidentified armed men allegedly shot dead Advocate Nazeer Ahmad, a former district bar member, at his residence in Model Town on the night of May 1 while he was sitting in the TV lounge. The attackers escaped after the incident.

On May 8, police claimed that the deceased’s only son, Mian Muhammad (17), confessed during the investigation to killing his father with a firearm. During a press conference, police also accused the deceased’s wife, Fauzia Nazeer - the complainant - of attempting to conceal her son’s alleged involvement.

Widow accuses rivals, alleges forced confession

Responding to the police claims in a viral video statement, Fauzia Nazeer alleged that some rivals of the deceased, including certain lawyers, had launched a malicious campaign against the family through sections of the media. She said the campaign had no connection with reality.

She questioned whether the lawyers’ strike was intended to pressurise police into declaring her ailing son the killer. She added that the alleged confession could have resulted from his prolonged illness or mental pressure.

In the video, she further claimed that the family was being targeted to seize her late husband’s property. She said she would not bow to pressure and maintained that she, her daughter and her son were the sole legal heirs to the deceased’s estate.

When contacted, the deceased’s family confirmed to Dawn that the viral audio clip belonged to Fauzia Nazeer.

Police sources told this correspondent that the late Advocate Nazeer Ahmad owned hundreds of acres of agricultural land worth millions of rupees. They claimed that after his death, some opponents and relatives had allegedly been attempting to take control of the property.

According to the sources, the family was allegedly being blackmailed through a campaign aimed at forcing them to relinquish the estate.

The sources further claimed that efforts were also being made to implicate the deceased’s wife and son in the murder case and to make the deceased’s brother the complainant in order to seize the property.

The sources further alleged that shortly after the murder, a prominent local figure, allegedly using police influence, sold wheat worth around Rs10 million from the deceased’s farmhouse. Of the amount, Rs5m was allegedly paid to a senior police official who was part of the joint investigation team formed by the DPO Bahawalnagar, while the remaining amount was allegedly misappropriated.

Commenting on the allegations of police blackmail and extortion, DPO Bahawalnagar Muhammad Imran said an inquiry would be conducted if the widow submitted a formal application to the police.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2026