Islamabad, June 19 (IANS) The killing of an elderly Sikh couple inside a gurdwara in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has sparked fears among religious minorities, who have said they have long been targeted by radical Islamist groups, a report has detailed.
On June 17, Jagannath Wanti (72) and his wife, Asa Wanti (69) were inside a gurdwara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan when unidentified assailants on a motorcycle opened fire and fled, police said.
Sahib Singh, a Sikh elder from Peshawar said, “The daylight double homicide has spread panic among the community.” Speaking to Union of Catholic Asian (UCA) News, Singh said that the incident took place on the first day of Muharram “when security is supposed to be tightened to prevent sectarian violence.”
He said the apparent security lapse sparks questions about policing in Mardan district, where Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs are minorities among a population of 2.7 million, over 99.5 per cent of whom are Muslim. The community leaders said that around 350 Sikhs, 1300 Hindus and about 7500 Christians live in Mardan.
During Muharram, thousands of police and paramilitary personnel are deployed in Pakistan to protect religious processions and gatherings. Sikh community sources revealed that over 25 Sikhs have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent years, with the majority of attacks reported in Peshawar, UCA News reported.
As per local media reports, militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban and affiliates of the so-called Islamic State, have attacked minority communities, whom they consider legitimate targets under their extremist interpretations of Islam.
“Sadly, no place of worship feels safe today,” said Singh while demanding a transparent, forensic investigation into the killings and stronger protections for minority communities, UCA News reported.
Suresh Kumar, a Hindu member of the provincial legislature, urged police to arrest the perpetrators behind the killing.
In April, a leading minority rights organisation had reported the brutal killing of a young Hindu businessman in Pakistan’s Sindh.
According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), Vishal Kumar was shot dead in “cold blood” in Sukkur city of Sindh in front of horrified onlookers. It noted that the killing took place in broad daylight, leaving the city gripped in fear and heightened insecurity.
–IANS
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