In a shocking incident, a nine-year-old Australian girl was killed and two members of her family were seriously injured after police opened fire on their vehicle in Pakistan’s Punjab province, mistaking it for a car being used by armed robbers.
The victim, Hania Ahmed, from the Perth suburb of Kewdale, was visiting relatives in Chakwal with her family when the incident took place late at night on June 10, reports the Guardian.
According to local media reports, the family was travelling in a rental car when they were confronted by two robbers on a motorcycle, one of whom was carrying a pistol.
Punjab Police later said officers from the Crime Control Department intervened after the Australian family was allegedly taken hostage at gunpoint. During the incident, the suspects reportedly fired at a police officer, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
The robbers then fled on their motorcycle. At the same time, the family’s rental vehicle also drove away from the scene. Police officials said officers mistakenly believed the fleeing car belonged to the suspects.
“As the cops saw the vehicle being driven away immediately, they took it as belonging to the robbers and opened indiscriminate fire on the car," a police official told local media.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for a transparent investigation into the incident. “These circumstances do need to be examined. They need to be examined in a transparent way, so that everyone can know, the family, most importantly, but others as well," he told reporters. He described the incident as 'heartbreaking'. |
