NEW DELHI, May 15: Two Sikh businessmen were shot dead on Sunday by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the latest targeted killing of the minority community members in the restive province bordering Afghanistan.
India has registered a “strong protest” with the government of Pakistan over the killing and regretted that it was “sadly not the first such case or a rare occurrence,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a strongly-worded statement further terming it a “shocking and deplorable incident.”
Saljeet Singh (42) and Ranjeet Singh (38) died on the spot after being attacked by two bike-borne assailants in the morning, according to the police. The two Sikhs were in the business of spices and had shops in the Bata Tal bazaar in Sarband, about 17 km from Peshawar.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan condemned the attack and directed the police to take immediate steps to arrest the culprits. Khan said the incident was a conspiracy to disrupt the inter-faith harmony in the province. The Chief Minister said justice would be provided to the families of the deceased.
About 15,000 Sikhs live in Peshawar, mostly in the Jogan Shah neighbourhood of the provincial capital Peshawar. Most of the members of the Sikh community in Peshawar are involved in business, while some also have pharmacies.
In September last year, a well-known Sikh ‘hakeem’ (Unani medicine practitioner) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside his clinic in Peshawar. In 2018, Charanjit Singh, a prominent Sikh community member, was killed by unknown men in Peshawar. Similarly, news channel anchor Ravinder Singh was killed in 2020 in the city. In 2016, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf National Assembly member Soren Singh was also killed in Peshawar.
According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority in Pakistan. Christians make up the second largest religious minority. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsis are also among the notable religious minorities in Pakistan.
In response to media queries on what the foreign ministry called the “target killing” of two Sikh traders, the government spokesperson said, “We have seen the reports on brutal killing of two Sikh traders by unidentified armed men in Peshawar. Sadly, this is not the first such case or a rare occurrence.”
“We have registered our strong protest with the Government of Pakistan on continued targeting of members of the minority community in Pakistan. We call upon the authorities concerned to sincerely investigate the matter and take strict action against those responsible for this deplorable incident,” the ministry spokesperson said.
The Indian government has said it expected the Pakistan government to fulfil its responsibilities to look after the safety, security and well-being of its minority communities.
(Manas Dasgupta)