Perth schoolgirl killed during Pakistan family holiday
A nine-year-old Perth girl has died after police in Pakistan opened fire on her family’s rental car in what local authorities have described as a case of mistaken identity during the response to an armed robbery.
The girl, named by Australian media as Hania Ahmed, was travelling with her parents and brother in Chakwal, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, when the family was confronted outside a relative’s home. Reports from Australia and Pakistan say jewellery was being handed over to armed robbers when a police officer nearby saw the incident and exchanged fire with two suspects.
After the robbers fled on a motorcycle, the family attempted to leave the area in their vehicle. Police who arrived at the scene allegedly mistook the car for the robbers’ vehicle and fired at it. Hania was taken to District Headquarters Hospital in Chakwal but could not be saved. Her father and brother were later transferred to a hospital in Rawalpindi for surgery.
Officer detained and investigation launched
Chakwal District Police said a police official had been taken into custody after a preliminary inquiry. Authorities also said a Joint Investigation Team had been formed to review the shooting and determine whether any officer was negligent or criminally responsible.
In a statement cited by ABC News, police said two primary suspects in the robbery were later killed during a “police encounter”. The statement said special teams were formed to arrest those believed to be involved and that legal action would follow if investigators found fault by any police official.
The circumstances have placed intense scrutiny on the sequence of events: an alleged street robbery, the arrival of police, the family’s attempt to escape danger, and the fatal decision by responding officers to fire on the wrong vehicle. The inquiry is expected to examine communications between officers, identification of the suspects, and whether the use of firearms met legal and operational standards.
Western Australian community in mourning
Hania attended the Australian Islamic College in Kewdale, in Perth’s east. The school community and Western Australia’s Pakistani community are mourning a child whose death occurred while she was overseas visiting family.
WA Attorney-General Tony Buti described the incident as a tragic case of mistaken identity and said he had passed condolences and support to community representatives. The death has resonated strongly in Perth because it involved a local primary school student and because her family members were also injured during what should have been a private family trip.
For families with relatives overseas, the case is a stark reminder of how quickly a holiday can become a crisis when violent crime and an armed police response collide. It also raises difficult questions for Pakistani authorities about police training, target identification and accountability when civilians are caught in fast-moving operations.
What happens next
The immediate focus remains on the formal investigation, the detained officer, and the medical condition of Hania’s injured relatives. Australian officials have not announced any separate investigation, but the case is likely to remain closely watched by the Western Australian community and by those seeking clarity over how a child became the victim of police gunfire.
Authorities in Pakistan have promised a transparent and impartial inquiry. For Hania’s family and school community, however, the central fact is already devastating: a young Perth girl has been killed far from home after a police response that was meant to stop suspected criminals instead struck an innocent family.
Sources: ABC News Australia, Nine News and statements attributed to Chakwal District Police.