Pakistani police mistakenly open fire on Australian family, killing child

Pakistani police commandos have fatally shot an Australian girl and severely wounded her father and brother after mistaking them for armed thieves.

Hania Ahmed, a grade four student from Perth, was killed on Wednesday in the city of Chakwal when Punjab Police Elite Force personnel opened fire, authorities said.

Her father, Adeel Ahmed, 39, and 11-year-old brother, Aafan, sustained severe injuries while her mother escaped unhurt.

Police said the family were trying to flee in their rental car after thieves tried to rob them at gunpoint.

“In the ensuing chaos, the officer involved mistakenly assessed that the suspects were attempting to flee in the victims’ vehicle and discharged his weapon,” the Punjab Police’s Crime Control Department said in a statement on Sunday.

“This erroneous decision resulted in the tragic death of 10-year-old Hania and injuries to her father and brother.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who gave the girl’s age as nine, told journalists that his government “expects there to be transparency and a proper investigation of these circumstances”.

“My understanding is that not only has a young girl lost her life but there have been other members of the family injured as well in circumstances which are dire indeed,” he said.