By Samandar Khan
CHAKWAL: The Hania Ahmed case has taken a new turn after the father of the nine-year-old Australian girl who was killed during a robbery incident in Chakwal alleged that police misrepresented how the fatal shooting occurred and sought legal action against two police officials.
In an application submitted to District Police Officer (DPO) Kashif Zulfiqar, Adil Ahmed claimed the alleged robbers did not fire any shots during the incident. Instead, he alleged that the bullet which killed his daughter was fired by a Crime Control Department (CCD) constable and that the first information report (FIR) incorrectly blamed the unidentified suspects, raising questions about the accuracy of the initial police account.
Fatal Robbery Incident Under Renewed Scrutiny
Hania Ahmed was killed on the night of June 10 near the wall of the CCD Police Station in Chakwal during what police initially described as a robbery. Her father, Adil Ahmed, and her 11-year-old brother, Affan Ahmed, were seriously injured in the incident.
In his application, Adil Ahmed alleged that after he was admitted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in critical condition, Constable Ateeq, who was stationed at the hospital’s police facilitation desk, behaved in an inappropriate and disrespectful manner.
He further claimed that officers from City Police Station, accompanied by Sub-Inspector Ahsan Abdullah, recorded his account of the incident but pressured him into signing and placing his thumb impression on blank sheets of paper before he was allowed to receive medical treatment.
According to the application, he and his son were critically injured, his daughter had already died, and his wife was in severe shock. He alleged that only after obtaining his signatures did police permit doctors to examine the family, after which he and his son were referred to Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital in Rawalpindi because of the seriousness of their injuries.
Father Questions FIR and Police Handling
Adil Ahmed said that after attending his daughter’s funeral in Dhudial the following day, he met CCD Sub-Inspector Muhammad Irfan after the investigation had been transferred from City Police to the CCD.
According to his application, it was during that meeting that he learned the fatal shot had allegedly been fired directly by Constable Shujaat rather than by the robbery suspects.
He further alleged that although the circumstances amounted to an offence under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, the FIR was instead registered under Section 322 (Qatl-bis-Sabab). He also claimed the FIR incorrectly stated that the unidentified robbers opened fire after snatching jewellery from his wife, maintaining that the suspects never fired any shots during the incident.
Adil Ahmed alleged that this version of events was deliberately recorded to protect the police official involved in the shooting. He said he later provided what he described as a complete and accurate statement to CCD Sub-Inspector Muhammad Irfan and requested legal action against Constable Ateeq and Sub-Inspector Ahsan Abdullah, arguing that their actions could affect the integrity of the investigation.
DPO Orders Fact-Finding Inquiry
Acting on the complaint, DPO Kashif Zulfiqar directed the DSP Headquarters to conduct a fact-finding inquiry into the allegations.
The inquiry officer has been instructed to record Adil Ahmed’s statement by telephone if he has already returned to Australia and to complete the inquiry within three days.
Police Reject Allegations
A senior officer at City Police Station rejected the allegations when contacted by The Public Purview, describing them as baseless.
The officer said the FIR had been registered in accordance with the applicable standard operating procedures and in the presence of the complainant’s family members. He also denied allegations of misconduct by the constable posted at the hospital.
The officer said it was difficult to believe that any police official would behave discourteously toward a family that had just lost a child while the father and son were seriously injured and the mother was in severe trauma.
The allegations made by Adil Ahmed have not been independently verified. The matter remains under a fact-finding inquiry ordered by the District Police Officer, and no findings have yet been announced.
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