Australian girl dies after Pakistani police ‘mistakenly’ shoots family, officer arrested

Thinking that the suspects were trying to flee, the officer had fired into the car where the family was being held hostage, police said

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Police officers stand at a road junction in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:30pm, 15 Jun 2026

Police shot and killed an Australian child in eastern Pakistan, authorities said, with Canberra calling on Monday for an investigation into the incident that also wounded two of the girl’s family members.

Police in Pakistan’s most populous eastern province, Punjab, said that officers responding to a robbery exchanged fire with the suspects who were holding the passengers of a family’s car at gunpoint on Wednesday.

“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,” it added.

Hania Ahmed is killed during a police shootout with robbers on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Punjab police said they had registered a criminal complaint from the victim’s father and had arrested the officer involved, who appeared before a court and was remanded in custody.

Australian girl dies after Pakistani police ‘mistakenly’ shoots family, officer arrested

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Thinking that the suspects were trying to flee, the officer had fired into the car where the family was being held hostage, police said

Thinking that the suspects were trying to flee, the officer had fired into the car where the family was being held hostage, police said