LAHORE: A young man was allegedly shot dead on Tuesday by a guard of the personal staff officer of the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO), after he (the youth) shot at and injured him (the guard) and a traffic warden on Wahdat Road.

The victim, Hamza Khokhar, 25, said to be a relative of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf MNA and parliamentary secretary for national security division, Malik Karamat Khokhar, received a single bullet in his chest that proved fatal when he was shifted to the Jinnah Hospital.

According to initial police reports, the official guard of the CCPO’s PSO Ahmad Saleem Butt shot Hamza after the youngster allegedly opened fire on a warden and injured him for issuing a fine slip to him over traffic rules violation on Wahdat Road.

Hamaz (25) and his relative Ali Khokhar were on a motorbike near Bhekewal Chowk when the incident occurred.

Ali fled the scene on the bike shortly after Hamza was shot at and injured.

Operations SSP Faisal Shahzad told Dawn that both young men were said to be relatives of the PTI MNA from Lahore. He said they got annoyed when a warden issued them a fine ticket over some violation.

He said Hamza shot at the traffic warden Amir, hitting his leg. Meanwhile, the SSP said the vehicle of the CCPO’s PSO was passing from there and his guard challenged the armed youth who also shot at and injured him.

The guard retaliated the fire, hitting Hamza in the chest, the SSP said, adding that his fellow Ali fled the scene.

The police were yet to register a case, while the body of Hamza has been shifted to the city morgue for autopsy.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2020