Four Killed, 15 Injured in Firing Incident Near Sargodha

Four Killed, 15 Injured in Firing Incident Near Sargodha

SARGODHA: A shooting incident in the Aziz Bhatti Town vicinity, within the jurisdiction of Jhal Chakian police station, resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals and left 15 others wounded on Thursday.

According to law enforcement, armed attackers opened fire indiscriminately on a vehicle in front of a gas station near Aziz Bhatti Town, leading to the immediate deaths of four individuals named Shafi, Fazlur Rehman, Zaheer Abbas, and Abdul Sattar. The gunfire lasted for approximately five minutes, injuring bystanders, including Haider, Shahbaz, Zafar Shah, Faizan Lai, Shahid, Usman, Ali, Ramzan, Azam, and Akram. The deceased and the injured were transported to the district headquarters hospital. Preliminary police investigations indicate that the incident stemmed from a feud between two factions from Chak 54-NB.

Authorities indicate that the victims were heading home after attending a local court session. As per the police spokesperson, upon receiving news of the incident, the district police officer (DPO), the SP of the investigation wing, and teams from the crime scene and forensic units promptly arrived at the location.

FLOUR PRICES: Local flour mill operators are facing pressure from the Punjab government to sell the wheat stored in its warehouses at the officially set price, which will likely lead to an increase in flour prices soon. This concern is voiced by local flour mill operators, who mention that farmers were unable to cover their production costs due to a considerable drop in wheat prices instigated by the government last year. They noted that because of this negative previous experience, many farmers have chosen not to plant wheat this year, potentially driving up wheat flour prices soon. Rao Sajid Mahmood, a representative of the flour mills association, has called on the government to take prompt action to prevent a rise in flour prices.

He mentioned that while the government gained some advantages from last year’s “policy” of compelling farmers to sell their wheat at reduced prices, the farmers suffered greatly. As a result, many of them decided not to plant wheat this season, which will likely drive up flour prices.

RAILWAYS: Residents have called for a direct train service from Sargodha to Karachi to enable more individuals to benefit from affordable train travel. Due to the lack of this service, locals are compelled to reserve seats from Faisalabad and other cities to reach Karachi and various other destinations along the route. In the meantime, Pakistan Railways has eliminated the seat quotas for parliamentarians, judges, and bureaucrats on the Millat and Hazara Express services originating from Sargodha.