LAHORE - The chief of Punjab's crime control department (CCD) on Thursday assured swift justice for 9-year-old Hania Ahmed, who was shot dead during an alleged police shootout in Chakwal. CCD top official Sohail Zafar Chattha, along with Punjab Police Inspector General Abdul Kareem, addressed a joint conference here days after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on authorities in Pakistan to investigate the fatal shooting of an Australian girl while on holiday with her family.
Questions Over CCD Conduct
Reporters grilled both officers with a volley of questions over the conduct of the CCD force, which has killed no less than 1,000 suspects in shootouts during the last couple of years. Early this year, a fact-finding mission from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) published a report alleging record extrajudicial killings by Punjab's police unit set up to combat organised crime. The HRCP had documented at least 670 encounters, resulting in 924 suspected deaths between April 2025, when the unit was formed, and December 2025.
The Chakwal Incident
Nine-year-old Hania Ahmed and her family were taken hostage at gunpoint by armed robbers inside their rental car in the northern city of Chakwal in Punjab province on 10 June. Punjab police claimed the suspects fired at a police officer, leading to a shootout. A police officer, thinking that the suspects were fleeing on the family's vehicle, “mistakenly” fired his gun, resulting in the nine-year-old's death and wounding her father and older brother, police said. Punjab police said the suspects fired first at the police officer, who has been placed under custody. However, the girl's father claimed that the police fired first.
Australian PM Demands Transparency
“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,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday. “Australia expects there to be transparency and a proper investigation of these circumstances,” he added. Punjab police said there was “absolutely no justification for deviating from our established protocols” and that it was conducting a “thorough and impartial investigation”.
CCD Chief's Assurance
Additional-IGP CCD Sohail Zafar Chattha said the Chakwal incident is a matter of ‘deep sorrow for all of us.’ Immediately after the incident, he himself visited the victim's home and assured the affected family that a transparent and impartial investigation will be ensured at all costs and that the family will get justice. He went on to say that the victim family expressed full confidence in the CCD's investigation. Chattha added that the CCD not only suspended and arrested the accused immediately after the incident, but also, at the request of the affected family, registered a case under Section 302 against their own officer. He said the CCD investigation team recovered and recorded all evidence related to the incident, including the suspect's service rifle, bullet casings and other material, so that the case can be brought to conclusion as soon as possible. He also claimed that the alleged robbers involved in the shooting were killed in police action later.
Investigation Timeline and SOP Review
Chattha said investigations will be completed and a comprehensive charge-sheet will be submitted to the court by the end of next week. He added that the Australian government has also contacted them about the matter, and they assured Australia that transparent investigations will be ensured at all costs and that the affected family will receive justice. Chattha said they have decided to review their SOPs so that incidents of this type do not recur. He also said they will soon hold special training for their officers and personnel to ensure full compliance with the law and SOPs. He stated that the CCD strictly adheres to human rights and ensures in all its operations that innocent civilians are not harmed, even if that allows an extremely wanted fugitive to escape. He noted that during CCD's efforts to eliminate crime, two CCD officers have been martyred and more than 200 have been injured.
IG Punjab Expresses Grief
IG Punjab Abdul Kareem also expressed deep sorrow over the Chakwal incident and offered condolences to the bereaved family of little Hania. He said the incident is a great cause of grief not only for the affected family but for all of us. We have taken this matter extremely seriously and impartial investigations are underway.
