RAHIM YAR KHAN - Two policemen were killed and a civilian was injured in a shooting incident in the Kacha area near Gadpur in Zahirpir Town, Khanpur Tehsil early on Tuesday.

According to Zeeshan Randhawa, public relations officer for the Rahim Yar Khan DPO, Sub-Inspector Arshad Chattha and Constable Sadiq of Sheedani Police Station crossed the River Indus to recover five-year-old girl Nusrat from her grandparents on court orders. Nusrat’s father accompanied the police.

Nusrat had been living with her maternal grandparents for the last three years after the death of her mother. Nusrat’s father and the policemen recovered the girl from her grandparents’ house and brought her back. When the policemen and Nusrat’s father were bringing her back by a boat, some men related to Nusrat’s grandparents opened fire on the police and her father. As a result, policemen Chattha and Sadiq died at the scene, while Nusrat’s father was wounded in the gun attack. The assailants fled the scene.

DPO Umar Farooq Salamat and SP (Investigation) Rana Muhammad Ashraf reached the scene along with heavy police contingents and cordoned off the area. Bodies of those killed were brought to the Police Lines in Rahim Yar Khan and funeral prayers were offered for them. A large number of people attended funeral prayers for the deceased. Later, bodies were sent to hometowns of the deceased. Nusrat’s father was shifted to hospital where his condition was said to be stable.

Police sources said that police did not plan Nusrat’s recovery in the right way; therefore, two policemen lost their lives. The sources said that police should have carried out the operation in the morning and a good number of policemen should have taken part in the operation instead of just two policemen.