Pakistani police mistakenly open fire on Australian family, killing child

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionWorld CupVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsRussia-Ukraine warDonald Trumpcaret-rightNewsPakistani police mistakenly open fire on Australian family, killing childFatal shooting of nine-year-old Hania Ahmed by Punjab Police officer causes furore. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for an investigation into the police shooting that killed the Australian girl and injured her father and brother while they were visiting family in Pakistan [File: Dan Peled/Getty Images]By APPublished On 15 Jun 202615 Jun 2026Pakistani 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. Authorities said the officer who fired on the family has been remanded in custody while the two robbery suspects were killed in a separate shootout. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: