BAHAWALPUR: Four people were killed in two firing incidents and six others, four of them of a family, suffered burns in a gas leakage and fireworks blasts in the areas of Burewala and Tibba Sultanpur of Vehari district on Tuesday.

In the jurisdiction of Fateh Shah police station near Burewala, an addict named Imtiaz Malang, accompanied by two unidentified accomplices, allegedly opened fire after his sister, Farzana Bibi, and his aunt, Tasleem Bibi, refused to give him money.

Farzana died on the spot, while Tasleem succumbed to her injuries on way to the hospital.

The suspects fled the scene before the police arrived. The bodies were shifted to THQ Hospital, and Fateh Shah police registered a double murder case against Imtiaz Malang and his unidentified accomplices, who remain at large.In another incident, Muhammad Anwar, a resident of Basti Chah Gathwala near Dokota, allegedly shot his son, Ali Ahmed, after a heated argument.

Six injured in gas leak, fireworks blasts

Anwar, an employee at a petrol pump, had asked his son to take over his duties at work, but Ali refused. In a fit of rage, Anwar shot his son. When Anwar’s wife, Karamat Bibi, tried to intervene, she was also shot.

Karamat sustained critical injuries and succumbed to his wounds on way to Nishtar Hospital in Multan. Tibba Sultanpur police have arrested Anwar and are investigating the case.

GAS LEAKAGE: Four family members -- Abbas (40), Sonia Bibi (25), Jahanzeb, and Mehar Muhammad – were severely injured in a gas cylinder explosion in Mohallah Ghausia of Basti Malook, Lodhran district.

The incident occurred when they attempted to light a stove to boil milk, triggering the blast due to a gas leak.

All four victims suffered serious burns and were rushed to the hospital by Rescue 1122.

According to rescuers, the explosion was caused by a gas leak from the cylinder.Meanwhile, a couple – Qasim Ali and his wife Haseena Bibi -- were preparing fireworks in their rented house in Mulsim Town when the materials caught fire from a heater, causing a blast.

Both suffered severe injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Upon receiving information, Vehari police arrived at the scene and initiated legal action against the couple for their illegal fireworks business in the residential area.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2025