Three Brothers Die After Changla Gali Land Dispute

Two brothers were shot dead in the Changla Gali land dispute at Changla Gali Tajwal, an area of Galiyat adjoining Murree in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A third brother, Shahzad, also died of a heart attack after attending the funeral of the two brothers.

The deceased were identified as Tahseen Shah, a head constable with the Crime Control Department (CCD), Rawalpindi, and his brother Khizar Abbas.

Police have arrested Manzoor Shah, the suspect allegedly involved in the double murder. He is a cousin of the deceased.

What happened in the Changla Gali land dispute

The incident occurred suddenly while negotiations over the land dispute were under way and several other people were also present at the site, according to the report.

Police shifted the bodies to a nearby hospital for post-mortem examinations. The suspect in the double murder has been arrested.

What began as a minor land dispute claimed the lives of three young men from the same family, the report said. The account does not give further detail on the terms under discussion, the weapon used, or the exact sequence of the shooting. Those points remain for the police investigation to establish.

Land disputes are among the most common triggers for violence in rural and hillside communities, where boundaries, inheritance and possession are often contested between relatives. In this case the parties were not strangers: the arrested suspect is a cousin of the men who died.

The third death

According to sources, Shahzad suffered a heart attack at Mochi Dhara Hospital after seeing the funeral of his two brothers. The attack proved fatal.

The report presents Shahzad’s death as a consequence of shock and grief at the funeral, not as a second violent incident. No suggestion has been made that he was attacked. His death, however, deepens the loss for one family in a single day: three brothers gone, two to gunfire and one to a heart attack hours later.

Funeral and police presence

Their funeral prayers were offered at Railway Ground in Rawalpindi. They were later buried at Dhoke Ratta graveyard.

CCD Regional Officer Hassan Wattoo, other senior officers, police personnel, relatives of the deceased and a large number of citizens attended the funeral prayers.

The presence of senior CCD officers reflects Tahseen Shah’s service. A head constable’s funeral draws his department, and the attendance of the regional officer signals that the department is treating the loss as its own. It does not, on its own, indicate anything about the investigation, which police will have to pursue on the evidence.

What police have said and what remains unclear

Police have confirmed an arrest and the post-mortem process. They have not yet published a fuller account of the dispute, the negotiations, or any charges to be brought against the arrested man.

The case also comes at a sensitive moment for police in the region. Three policemen were martyred in separate incidents in Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur on Friday, and a separate death at a Taxila check post has led Rawalpindi police to open legal proceedings. Those cases are distinct from the Changla Gali dispute, which police describe as a family land matter rather than a militant attack, but together they underline the risks police personnel currently face across the province and its adjoining districts.

Frequently asked questions

Who died in the Changla Gali incident?

Tahseen Shah, a head constable with the Crime Control Department in Rawalpindi, and his brother Khizar Abbas were shot dead. A third brother, Shahzad, later died of a heart attack after attending their funeral.

Where did it happen?

In Changla Gali Tajwal, an area of Galiyat adjoining Murree in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while negotiations over a land dispute were under way.

Has anyone been arrested?

Yes. Police have arrested Manzoor Shah, a cousin of the deceased, who is the suspect allegedly involved in the double murder.

Where were the brothers buried?

Funeral prayers were offered at Railway Ground in Rawalpindi, and they were later buried at Dhoke Ratta graveyard.