Pakistan police on Sunday arrested some suspects in connection with the murder of a Sikh man in the northwestern city of Peshawar, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen, in a probable case of targetted killing.
Manmohan Singh, 35, was on his way to the interior city area of Peshawar from Rasheed Garhi, a suburban locality of Peshawar when some armed men attacked him near Guldara Chowk Kakshal, which comes under the jurisdiction of Yakka Toot police station.
This is the latest incident of targeted attacks against minority communities in Pakistan. Though Singh was shifted to a hospital, he was pronounced dead by the doctors, police said.
Some suspects have been arrested in the murder of Singh who was a ‘Hakeem’ (Unani medicine practitioner), Ashfaq Anwar, the city police chief in Peshawar told reporters. The police chief said that they are close to arresting the main accused involved in the murder. Police have been directed to ensure the protection of life and property of law-abiding citizens in the province. They are investigating the case from different angles.
The Islamic State group in a statement claimed responsibility for the killing, saying Singh had been a follower of what it called a “polytheistic” Sikh sect in Peshawar, AP reported. It also claimed wounding a Sikh in the northwestern city the previous day.
Attacks on Sikh community in Pakistan
This is the third killing of a Sikh community member this year in Pakistan. A Sikh man Tarlok Singhwas injured after he sustained bullet wounds on his legs on Friday. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is investigating the armed attack. The police believe that two attacks on Sikh men in Peshawar within 48 hours may be target killings but the real facts would come after thorough investigations.
A Sikh businessman was shot dead in the city by unknown assailants in March.
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. Hindus form the biggest minority community in the Muslim-majority country.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has called upon the External Affairs Minister (MEA), S Jaishankar, to lodge a strong protest against the Pakistan government for its failure to protect minorities.
SGPC condemns attacks on minority Sikhs
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly condemned the attacks on minority Sikhs in Pakistan. In a statement issued from SGPC office in Amritsar, Harjinder Singh Dhami said that, "The murder of Sikh shopkeeper Manmohan Singh in Peshawar city in Pakistan is a very unfortunate incident. He said that the government there should be serious about the security of minority Sikhs in Pakistan. This is the second incident of attack on Sikhs in two days."
"If the government had given severe punishment to the culprits in past cases, then this would not have happened again," he said.
