Two members of the Sikh community have been murdered in Peshawar, Pakistan. Both ran a spice shop. According to the information received, the attackers who came from the bike fired bullets at them, in which they died. This is the second such attack in the last eight months.
Giving information about this case, Peshawar Police said that the incident took place in Sarband police station area. Police said the deceased were identified as 42-year-old Suljit Singh and 38-year-old Ranjit Singh. They had spice shops in the Batal area. Police reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported and sent the bodies to the hospital for post-mortem, an official said.
The assailants in this incident have not yet been identified. Also, no terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for this attack. Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (PSGPC) member Satwant Singh said that it appears to be a case of target killing. He said- “Both were turbaned Sikhs who used to run their own shop. The killers came on the bike and started firing. It seems to be a case of targeted murder.”
Condemning the killing of Sikhs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan termed the incident as a conspiracy against disrupting inter-religious harmony. According to news agency PTI, he has directed the police to take immediate steps to arrest the culprits.
This is the second incident against the minority community in Peshawar in the last eight months. In September last year, Satnam Singh was shot dead at his dispensary in Peshawar. Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the killing. Earlier in 2020, a 25-year-old man from the Sikh community was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Peshawar, Pakistan.