Punjab police and the Crime Control Department (CCD) admitted on Thursday that the shooting death of nine-year-old Hania in Chakwal was a case of “criminal negligence” and said that the incident would not be defended or covered up under any circumstances.
Addressing a press conference, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Abdul Karim said that the incident was “deeply tragic” and that a thorough investigation would be conducted, with negligence placed on record to ensure those responsible were brought before a court of law.
He said that no institution could earn public trust without acknowledging its mistakes, offering assurances that the investigation would proceed independently.
Punjab CCD Additional Inspector General (AIG) Sohail Zafar Chattha said that the family’s trust was of utmost importance and that the incident had caused embarrassment to both the CCD and the Punjab police.
“Now, it is the right time to learn from this criminal negligence and rectify the blunders of the individuals in CCD to prevent such incidents in the future,” Chattha said.
Both officials noted that the CCD official involved had failed to assess the situation correctly due to a lack of training and said a plan had been outlined to address gaps in capacity-building within the department.
Chattha added that the cop nominated under murder charges would not receive sympathy from the police and that the challan of the arrested personnel would be completed within a week and presented before the court.
Hania was killed and her father and brother were injured after CCD officials opened fire on their car in the Chakwal city area, mistaking it for that of robbers.
The press conference came after Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese on Monday called for a transparent investigation into the killing. Albanese said that the circumstances needed to be examined and that the facts must come out in a way that made clear “the family is more important than anything.”
“My heart goes out to the family and friends of the slain girl,” Albanese said, adding that he will express solidarity with the Pakistani-Australian community.
