Police mistakenly shoot and kill Australian child in eastern Pakistan, officials say

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Police mistakenly shot and killed an Australian child in eastern Pakistan, authorities said on Monday, with Canberra calling 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,” said the Punjab Police’s Crime Control Department.

“This erroneous decision resulted in the tragic death of 10-year-old Hania and injuries to her father and brother.”

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 media reported the family, from the western city of Perth, were visiting relatives in Pakistan when the incident took place.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said the child killed was nine years old, 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.

Australia’s foreign affairs ministry said it was providing assistance to the family of an Australian citizen who been killed and two others injured.

Punjab Police said it was conducting “a thorough, impartial investigation to ensure that justice is served.”

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. While our personnel operate in high-risk environments, there is no justification for a departure from our protocols,” it added.

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