4 shot dead outside Ferozewala court

LAHORE - Four people were gunned down while more than a dozen were injured, three of them critically, when a group of seven armed men opened fire on their rivals outside Ferozewala Kutchery in broad daylight on Friday.

The entire locality remained tense for hours due to the massive shootout that lasted for one hour while the victims also challenged the assailants and retaliated the firing. Many shopkeepers left their shops and ran for shelter. Similarly, the motorists also left their vehicles on the road to avoid injuries.

The deceased identified as 45-year-old Shabbir Gujjar, his close relative 40-year-old Javed Iqbal and young friend Fida Hussain were residents of Khorri village of Muridke while another 28-year-old youth was also among the dead.

The injured are: Sumaira, Shahid, Ashraf Ali, Imran Ahmad, Zafar, Imran Ali, Yasin Bhatti, Usman, Hassan Tariq, Anwar Ali and Asghar.

Police said the body of the said youth, later identified as Nazir Ahmad, was found with multiple bullet wounds from the Mazda wagon that was used by the assailants to attack.

Police believe that the victim Nazir was a member of the group who attacked their rival and was shot dead during cross-firing.