Post-mortem finds 11 bullet wounds on girl killed in Chakwal CCD firing

CHAKWAL: A post-mortem examination of nine-year-old Hania Adeel, who was killed in a firing incident involving Punjab Crime Control Department personnel in Chakwal on June 10, found that she had sustained 11 bullet and injury marks.

The gunfire caused critical damage to several vital organs, including the heart, liver, lungs, chest and abdomen. Doctors stated that all the bullets struck the child before death and that the injuries were so deep and severe they would have caused immediate death.

Hania was with her Australian-Pakistani family, which was in Chakwal on holiday, when CCD personnel allegedly mistook their vehicle for that of robbers and opened fire. She suffered bullet injuries and died at the scene.

The post-mortem report also stated that six to eight hours passed between her death and the examination. Hospital authorities sealed her blood-stained clothes, X-rays and other evidence before handing them over to police.

Inquiry and official response

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb described the incident as tragic and said it happened because of a misunderstanding during an operation in which a robbery was reportedly taking place.

Aurangzeb said the inquiry into the incident had been completed and that the report was submitted to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday. She also said the CCD chief would hold a press conference on Thursday to brief the public on the facts of the case.

Separately, the Lahore High Court directed that a petition seeking a judicial inquiry into the incident be fixed along with the main case.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had called on Pakistan to ensure a transparent investigation into the killing. The CCD official accused of opening fire remains in jail on judicial remand.