Australia seeks probe into Chakwal shooting

ISLAMABAD: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for a transparent investigation into the Chakwal shooting in which a nine-year-old Pakistani-Australian girl was killed after Punjab Crime Control Department (CCD) personnel opened fire on her family’s vehicle on June 10.

Hania Ahmed was fatally shot in the incident. Her father, 39-year-old Adeel Ahmed, and her brother, 10-year-old Aafan Ahmed, were critically injured, while her mother, Dr Sidra, was not hurt. The case received extensive coverage in Australia and internationally and prompted demands for an independent inquiry into the circumstances of the shooting.

Speaking to reporters in Canberra, Albanese said a detailed inquiry was important ""in a transparent way, so that everyone can know, the family, most importantly, but others as well.""

He said his heart went out to the girl’s family and friends and expressed solidarity with the Pakistani-Australian community, saying they would be ""really feeling this today"." Albanese also offered condolences over what he described as an incident that occurred at a time that ""should have been a time of joy"."

The Australian High Commission said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was providing consular assistance to the family. In a statement, it said: ""The Australian High Commission sends its deepest condolences to the family at this sad and difficult time,""

Punjab CCD response

Punjab CCD Additional Inspector General Sohail Zafar Chattha visited the Chakwal home of the slain child on Monday and said the department did not believe in extrajudicial killings and acted against people involved in serious crimes. Speaking to the media, he said: ""We take action against people implicated in grave crimes. Such criminals are often armed and have a history of opening fire on law enforcement personnel,""

Chattha said CCD teams sometimes had to respond when they came under attack during operations. He added that three to four robberies had been reported in Chakwal on the day of the incident, which contributed to the response of CCD personnel.

He said: ""A citizen's life is more precious than arresting two robbers. Even if suspects are not apprehended on the spot, CCD personnel are trained to pursue and capture them later,"" adding that it would have been better if the CCD had continued the chase and attempted to arrest the suspects later.

The suspected robbers had come to Chakwal from Sheikhupura and believed they could carry out crimes there without consequence. He said: ""Our officers traced the suspects and conducted a raid. Unfortunately, during the exchange of fire between the suspects and law enforcement officials, the little girl was shot and killed.""

Calling the incident a major tragedy, he said the credibility of the inquiry would depend on the confidence of the victim’s family. ""The family's trust in us is extremely important, and public confidence in the CCD is equally significant. Society has high expectations of the CCD and often believes that the department does not make mistakes,"" he said.

He acknowledged that errors could occur and said the incident should be used to improve the institution and address training gaps. ""Following the loss of this young child, we have an opportunity to correct our shortcomings and address any gaps in training to prevent such incidents from happening in the future,"" he added.

Case against officials

Later, CCD Superintendent of Police Shah Meer Khalid told a press conference at CCD headquarters that personnel involved in the firing had been taken into custody and that legal and departmental proceedings had been initiated.

He said: ""The challan of the arrested personnel will soon be presented before the court for further legal proceedings,"" adding that officers had mistakenly fired on the family’s vehicle because they believed robbers were escaping in a car snatched from the family at gunpoint.

Khalid said the personnel had violated standard operating procedures and that the family had been assured of a transparent investigation. He added that the family had expressed confidence in the inquiry and the progress made so far.

What happened in Chakwal

Adeel Ahmed, an Australian citizen living in Perth, had come to Pakistan with his wife and children for a family holiday after recently performing Hajj. The family was travelling to a relative’s home for dinner late in the evening when armed men on a motorcycle intercepted their vehicle near the CCD police station in Chakwal and took cash and jewellery.

An exchange of fire then took place after CCD personnel arrived. In the confusion, Adeel tried to drive his family away, but CCD officials, believing the speeding vehicle belonged to fleeing suspects, opened indiscriminate fire. The car was struck by multiple bullets, critically injuring Hania, who was taken to District Headquarters Hospital but died shortly after reaching there.

Her father and brother were also seriously wounded and shifted to a specialised medical facility in Rawalpindi, where they remain under treatment. Dr Sidra was not injured.

The shooting drew strong criticism on social media and condemnation from civic circles, with calls for accountability over the conduct of law enforcement. In a subsequent legal development, authorities amended the case against the arrested CCD official by replacing the initial Section 322 charge with Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.