Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reportedly called on authorities in Islamabad to investigate the shooting of a nine-year-old Australian girl of Pakistani origin who was there on vacation with her family.
Nine-year-old Hania was shot dead, her father and brother were critically injured after police personnel “mistakenly” open fired at the family’s car suspecting them to be robbers in Punjab province of Pakistan, police said on Sunday, news agency PTI reported.
The incident is said to have taken place in Chakwal district, about 300 km from Lahore on June 10, sending shockwaves across both Australia and Pakistan.
The family of four – Adeel Ahmed, 39, his wife Dr Sidra Khan, daughter Hania, 9, and son Aafan, 10 – had reportedly returned to Pakistan after performing Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
On their way to his father-in-law, their car was stopped by two armed gunmen on a motorcycle, the police said in a statement, according to PTI. He called the police emergency number and police communicated the incident to the Crime Control Department (CCD), a specialised force against criminals, the statement added.
Thinking the robbers were fleeing in the family’s car, the CCD personnel opened indiscriminate fire, the police said. As a result, the car was riddled with bullets and nine-year-old Hania died on the spot while Adeel and Aafan were critically injured and are being treated in hospital. Dr Sidra remained unhurt.
“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,” BBC quoted PM Albanese as saying, speaking to reporters in Canberra.
“Australia expects there to be transparency and a proper investigation of these circumstances,” he added.
Punjab Police also said that it was conducting a “thorough and impartial investigation,” adding that there was “absolutely no justification for deviating from our established protocols,” BBC reported.
The two suspects who tried to rob the family, identified as Muhammad Abbas and Muhammad Fayyaz, were shot dead in a police encounter while allegedly trying to flee, the police said, according to PTI.
‘Traumatic for her community’
Hania’s school principal in Perth, Abdullah Khan, told the BBC that news of her death was “traumatic” for her community.
Hania was very friendly, bubbly, and very social, Khan said.
“She had lots of friends, [and was] very respectful to teachers,” he added. “She was loved by everyone.”
He added that the school is in touch with her family and is providing counselling assistance to support staff and students, according to BBC.
“Especially the students in her class – they are distressed and in a state of shock,” he said.