In a shocking turn of events, a troubling incident has raised serious concerns about safety of tourists in the Northern Areas, where a tourist family from Sargodha was ambushed by armed men near Thak Diwari in Chilas, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The incident took place in the vicinity of Babusar Top on the Babusar Jhalkad Road.
Police reports indicated that it was around 11:00 PM when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Fortuner vehicle (registration AU-15) en route from Sargodha to Skardu.
As per the initial reports, the armed men attempted to stop the vehicle, and opened fire after the vehicle failed to stop.
Consequently, two individuals in the car sustained serious injuries, including the driver Rana Nadeem, who reportedly suffered eye loss, and another passenger, namely Mujtaba, who was also wounded.
The injured were immediately rushed to the Regional Headquarters Hospital Chilas, and were later on shifted to Islamabad for advanced medical treatment.
The head of the affected family, Imran, while recounting the horrifying experience in a statement before the police and media, stated “We assumed they were after valuables like mobiles, cash, etc, which is why we didn’t stop. However, they eventually began shooting. What happened to us was nothing short of brutal”, further warning the tourists to not visit the place or otherwise they’ll be at risk of losing their lives.
At the time of the attack, according to the police records, at least six individuals were present in the vehicle, including Subhan Akhtar and Murtaza Akhtar (sons of Akhtar Mahmood), Muhammad Umar (son of Imran), Arsalan (son of Ahmed Bakhsh), Aqsa (wife of Arsalan), Nasreen (wife of Naeem Akhtar).
Reporter: Samiullah