GUJRANWALA, July 29: A woman whose rape by a landlord started a series of killings in Sherpur village (Ahmadnagar) some six years ago was slain along with her guard near Klaske on Thursday. The ambush by her rivals also claimed the life of a passer by. The enmity has so far left 17 people dead.

Daughter of a dairy farmer, Farzana Bibi was assaulted criminally by Chaudhry Basharat Ali alias Basharti some six years ago. After subjecting her to rape, the accused had shaved her head "for she had loose morales."

Shahbaz Sharif, then chief minister, had visited Sherpur when the rape story hit newspaper headlines. On the run, accused Basharti was killed in an encounter with police in 1998. In revenge, Basharti's heirs ambushed Farzana's father Irshad Ahmad and brother Qasim Ali.

This started a series of revenge killings between the two families which, till now, claimed 17 lives, including that of Basharati's father Nazir Ahmad, brother Irshadullah, relatives Dost Muhammad, Nasarullah, Zahid and Saeed and nine from the Farzana group.

CONVICTION: A court of law had handed down death sentence to three relatives of the Farzana group - Safdar, Iqbal and Nasarullah - on charge of killing Irshadullah, the brother of Basharati and his father-in-law Dost Muhammad while Imdadullah, another brother of Basharati, was declared fugitive by the court in a murder case. The deceased, Farzana, had moved the Lahore High Court for his early arrest.

FRESH AMBUSH: Known as Sherni (lioness) in her village, Farzana, on board her car, was ambushed at the main intersection of Klaske, 12km from here, by three unknown assailants riding a four-wheeler.

Farzana and an unknown passer by received bullet injuries and died on the spot while her guard received serious bullet injuries and expired on way to hospital. Divorced after a few years of her marriage, Farzana left behind a minor son.

SALARIES DENIED: Educators launched a protest campaign demanding payment of ten-month salaries here on Thursday. A delegation of about two dozen educators called upon senior officers of the education department and the district administration and demanded release of their salaries.

They said the department recruited them on merit in October 2004 while they were performing their duties at respective institutions. But they were still deprived of their salaries. The department officials assured them that the process for the disbursement of their salaries was being finalized and they would get salaries shortly.