PESHAWAR: Twelve people including four children and two women were killed in three separate incidents involving enmities here in less than 24 hours, police said.

The incidents took place in the limits of Chamkani, Michni Gate and East Cantonment police stations of provincial capital.

Seven people including three children and two women were shot dead inside a house in Phandu Road area of Chamkani police station precincts on Monday night.

Mohammad Ibrahim told police that his wife Bano, three minor sons identified as Saleem, Salman and Jalal and his cousin Habibullah, his wife and minor daughter Somia Habib were shot dead by unidentified persons.

A six-year-old son of Habibullah was injured in the attack.

He said that they had no enmity. However, police sources said that two families, related to each other, were having a property dispute and the case was pending before a court. They said that the party, which had control over the disputed land, rented out it to a tenant family that was targeted by the attackers on Monday night.

An official said that the targeted family had nothing to do with the dispute.

According to a statement, police have arrested suspects in light of a traced telephone call.

IGP Moazzam Jah Anasri also visited the house where the bloodbath took place. He said that it was a test case for police and they had to put their best efforts for working out the challenging case.

He also directed all regional district police officers to ensure that land disputes having history of violence or tendency to get violent and old enmities might be documented at each police station and preventive action should be taken as provided under the law.

In another incident, Malik Jahangir, a local leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, along with his nephew was shot dead by his rivals in the limits of Michni Gate police station.

In the third incident, a man identified as Roohullah was shot dead by his rivals on Sher Suri Road in the limits of East Cantonment police station on Tuesday afternoon.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2021