Pakistani officials have apologised for the fatal shooting of a nine-year-old Perth girl and outlined the violation of protocols that led to her death, as police pursue murder charges against the officer involved.
Hania Ahmed had travelled to Pakistan with her family on holiday, and was visiting relatives in the city of Chakwal when she was fatally shot by police who mistook the family for robbers.
Pakistan’s Crime Control Department (CCD) told local media the officer involved had not confirmed the identity of the targets before opening fire, in violation of standard protocol.
CCD superintendent Shah Meer Khalid said the officer also failed to aim at the tyres of the vehicle which the family were driving.
“Whenever a target is engaged, the aim must be at the tyres. This was not followed. It is another serious breach and because of this, the innocent girl lost her life,”
Superintendent Khalid said.
“We are with the family in this moment of grief. We are investigating the mistake committed by the CCD officer in this incident.”
Adeel Ahmed and his nine-year-old daughter Hania Ahmed, who was killed in a police shooting in Pakistan. (Supplied)
Superintendent Khalid said an information report had been registered under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with murder.
He said the findings of the police investigation would be presented to the court within days.
“Once [the initial report] is submitted, we will move an application in court to request a speedy trial of this case,” he said.
Case of mistaken identity
The officer involved, who remains in custody, was passing by when the family was being held at gunpoint by two thieves.
The officer responded to the incident and exchanged gunfire with the robbers, who fled the scene.
When the family also attempted to drive away, the officer believed their vehicle had been stolen by the robbers and opened fire at the car, according to CCD.
Hania was fatally shot, and her 11-year-old brother and her father were also wounded.
Some details of the police account of the incident have been disputed by Hania’s father Adeel Ahmed, who was also wounded in the shooting along with his 11-year-old son.
Mr Ahmed alleged the police started shooting first, while police claim the officers only fired their weapons in retaliation.
Superintendent Khalid said it was a fast-moving situation which unfolded within “five to 10 seconds”, and the incident did not reflect any failures in the CCD’s training standards.
Loading…
However, both the family and legal advocates have raised concerns about the CCD’s use of force.
Concerns about police force
Pakistan Supreme Court advocate Mohammad Azhar Siddique has lodged a writ in the Lahore High Court alleging the fatal shooting of Hania Ahmed was not an isolated incident.
“[The] tragic incident is not an isolated lapse but symptomatic of a structural failure,” the writ said.
“Fact-finding by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and other credible sources has already documented hundreds of CCD ‘encounters’ in which suspects were killed in highly questionable circumstances.
“Indicating a deliberate policy of lethal force rather than lawful policing.”
Following the shooting, local police said they formed “special teams” to arrest the robbers who had held the family at gunpoint, and the two suspects were killed in a “police encounter”.
