Unidentified attackers murdered two members of the Sikh community on the outskirts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital of Peshawar, according to police.
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Ijaz Khan in a statement said that the incident took place in the jurisdiction of Sarband police station.
The victims were identified by the police official as 38-year-old Ranjeet Singh and 42-year-old Suljeet Singh. Both were owners of spice shops in the Batatal locality.
The CCPO said that police reached the scene soon after the incident and the bodies were shifted to the hospital for an autopsy.
Evidence was being collected, CCTV cameras were being checked and a search operation was being launched, he said.
Moreover, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Achakzai has ordered the provincial inspector general of Police to arrest those involved and said that this was carried out to disrupt the law and order situation in the city.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held ‘enemies of Pakistan’ responsible for the incident and vowed that they would be eliminated. He also directed the KP CM to make sure that culprits be arrested and punished.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah expressed criticism of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for failing to protect the province’s minorities. He said that he had sought a report of the incident from the provincial IG and chief secretary.
While emphasising that the perpetrators be arrested, Rana Sanaullah said that the provincial government and law enforcement should make sure that minority citizens were safe.
Meanwhile, the Sikh community of Peshawar took out a protest rally near the Balahisar Fort and demanded compensation and protection, according to a local journalist.
