Letter seeks terrorism charges in Chakwal shooting that killed nine-year-old girl

LAHORE: A legal advocacy group has called for terrorism charges to be added to the case registered over a shooting incident in Chakwal that left a nine-year-old girl dead and injured her father and brother after a family returning from Australia came under fire.

According to a letter sent by the Judicial Activism Panel through Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique, authorities have been urged to include anti-terrorism provisions in the FIR and conduct a transparent investigation into the incident.

The letter was addressed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, the Crime Control Department (CCD) and other relevant officials.

The petition stated that the girl was killed while her father and brother sustained injuries in firing allegedly carried out by CCD personnel. It also noted that a petition challenging the establishment of the CCD is currently pending before the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The Judicial Activism Panel has demanded the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the incident, protection for the affected family and preservation of all available CCTV footage.

It further called for forensic examination of the weapons and ammunition used in the shooting and requested that all records, evidence and legal documents related to the case be shared with the victim’s family. The letter warned that if the authorities fail to respond to the demands, the matter will be taken up before the LHC.

Australian girl killed after police ‘mistakenly’ open fire on family’s vehicle

The demand for terrorism charges comes days after a tragic shooting in Chakwal that claimed the life of nine-year-old Australian girl Hania Ahmed and injured her father and brother.

According to Punjab police, the family, originally from Perth, was visiting relatives in Chakwal when armed robbers allegedly took them hostage after intercepting their rental vehicle late on Wednesday night. CCD personnel responded to the incident and engaged the suspects, who reportedly opened fire on police.

Authorities said a CCD officer mistakenly believed the suspects were attempting to escape in the family’s vehicle and opened fire. The shooting killed Hania and wounded her father, Adeel Ahmed, and her brother, while her mother escaped unharmed.

Police later acknowledged that the officer’s actions violated established standard operating procedures and the legal principles governing the use of force. The officer was suspended, arrested and remanded to judicial custody pending further proceedings. Investigators have seized the weapon used in the incident and other forensic evidence as part of an ongoing inquiry.

The suspects involved in the robbery were later killed in a separate police encounter, according to media reports. Punjab police have pledged a transparent and impartial investigation, stating that any deviation from the principle of minimum force would be subject to strict legal and departmental accountability.

The incident has sparked grief in both Pakistan and Australia. Hania, a Year 4 student at the Australian Islamic College in Perth, was remembered by school officials as a cheerful and sociable child who was loved by classmates and teachers. The school has offered counselling services to students and staff following her death.

Australian authorities have been providing consular assistance to the family, while community organisations in Western Australia have called for privacy as the family copes with the tragedy.