The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has forwarded a petition requesting a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) inquiry into the murder of nine-year-old Hania in Chakwal to the FIA director general. The hearing was presided over by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, with officials from the Crime Control Department (CCD) and police also present in court.
Police informed the court that a case has been registered regarding the girl’s murder and that the suspect has been taken into custody. Hania, an Australian-Pakistani child, was fatally shot during an incident involving CCD personnel in Chakwal, Punjab, on June 10. The family was vacationing in Chakwal when CCD officers reportedly mistook their vehicle for that of criminals and opened fire. The young girl sustained bullet wounds and died instantly at the scene.
The court dismissed the writ petition but referred the matter to the FIA director general, instructing him to address the application in accordance with legal procedures. The petitioner’s lawyer, Mian Asif Mahmood, argued that Hania’s death resulted from CCD firing and that authorities later claimed two robbers were killed in the same event. He emphasized that the case involves three murders and should therefore be investigated by the FIA.
He further contended that since the suspect is a member of the CCD, the department cannot conduct an unbiased investigation into the incident. Following these submissions, the court directed the FIA director general to decide on the petition filed by Advocate Asif Mahmood based on the law.
Earlier, the post-mortem examination revealed that Hania had multiple gunshot injuries. The report identified 11 bullet and injury marks on her body, with the gunshots causing critical damage to vital organs including the heart, liver, lungs, chest, and abdomen.
