The Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench has escalated a petition demanding an independent Federal Investigation Agency probe into the tragic killing of nine-year-old Hania Adeel, forwarding the matter directly to the agency’s director general a final decision. The move follows mounting concerns over the impartiality of an internal investigation by the very department whose personnel are accused in the fatal shooting.
Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan presided over the hearing on Thursday, where officials from the Crime Control Department and Punjab police were also in attendance. The court ultimately disposed of the writ petition, ordering the FIA director general to adjudicate the application strictly in accordance with the law.
A Family Holiday Turns to Tragedy
The incident occurred on June 10 in Punjab’s Chakwal district, shattering an Australian-Pakistani family’s holiday. Hania was traveling in a vehicle with her relatives when CCD personnel allegedly mistook their car for that of suspected robbers and opened fire. The barrage of bullets struck the young girl, killing her on the spot. Police informed the court that a case has been registered and a suspect arrested, but the victim’s family and legal team argue that justice cannot be served through a departmental probe.
Petitioner’s lawyer, Mian Asif Mahmood, presented a forceful argument before the bench, framing the incident as a triple murder. He contended that while authorities claimed two alleged robbers were also killed in the same exchange of fire, the core issue is the unlawful use of lethal force by state agents.
“The suspect belongs to the CCD, and the department cannot conduct an impartial investigation into its own case,” Mahmood argued, a point that appeared to resonate with the court. His petition insisted that only the FIA possesses the jurisdictional independence required to uncover the truth.
The severity of the shooting was laid bare in a post-mortem report that documented a harrowing total of 11 bullet and injury marks on Hania’s body. The gunshots caused catastrophic damage to multiple vital organs, including her heart, liver, lungs, chest, and abdomen, underscoring the intensity of the fire directed at the civilian vehicle.
The court’s directive sends the petition back to the FIA chief with clear instructions to decide the matter lawfully, bypassing the internal mechanisms of the CCD. The decision marks a critical juncture in a case that has sparked public outrage over the use of force by law enforcement agencies and the vulnerability of civilians caught in the crossfire of security operations.
